plump pancakes

Posted on August 9, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Plump with fruit that is.

Raspberries and bananas to be exact.

And you won’t find any baking powder or baking soda in this recipe – we like pancakes, dense and moist…

No fluff here.

Cakes – thin, yet plump with fresh or frozen fruit.

Stack high and top with a bit of butter and then drizzle warmed maple syrup over top ’till it drips down the sides…

enjoy with homemade homefries and breakfast is served.

Pancakes with raspberries and bananas

Print this recipe!

Ingredients;

2 cups flour

2 cups buttermilk (can substitute regular milk)

1 Tbs. melted butter (or olive oil)

2 eggs (beaten)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

mini pinch of salt

1-2 cups fresh or frozen fruit

What to do;

Add buttermilk, tiny pinch of salt, melted butter and eggs to flour. Mix until smooth.

Add vanilla, stir

Blend in fruit

How to cook;

Heat skillet over medium to high heat and coat with butter.

Before butter starts browning or bubbling, pour one ladleful of batter onto heated skillet. Continue as space allows.

Let each cake sit (and cook) until little bubbles begin to appear on the top side of cake. Once a few bubbles have ‘popped’, flip gently to the other side…and cook opposite side.

Keep warm in oven until all batter has been used…cover slightly to prevent drying out, though not entirely, to prevent ‘sogginess’ from trapped moisture.

If you make too many (is that possible?), just freeze and enjoy on another day…what fun!

Fun fact; pretty flower plate picked up at my local freebie barn (actually an entire set). What?

Have a great weekend!

life last week…

Posted on August 1, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Last week was my week to prepare for an upcoming art show in which we exhibited…hence, my absence here…

Michael (my partner) has been busy for the past few months designing and building new pieces to showcase. Below, the back of one club chair and the root is a table base – both of which sold (yeah!),

while I have been busy with all the other things involved with owning one’s own art based business, Designs Adrift…and planning for an off site show. Below, our booth…

The exhibition took place on Mt. Desert Island.

A very beautiful and picturesque area of Maine…to say the least…

Somes sound is absolutely incredible and Acadia National Park is not too be missed…

The tiny cottage in which we stayed was situated perfectly within Northeast Harbor.

A ten minute walk and we would be in town. And the 20 minute commute to the show grounds afforded us a luxurious drive past grand estates and then into the Somes Sound…a magical fiord…

The narrow, winding two lane road, where fog and mist intermix with brilliant azure skies and green covered mountains (East Coast mountains) on either side of it, holding boats of all types… reminded me of being on South Island, in New Zealand…

It was an incredibly beautiful commute, and one we fully appreciated…particularly after all the hours we had spent preparing for the show and all the hours we knew were ahead…

Collecting the wood. Designing and building each piece. Deciding what should be showcased and where. Laying out the space. Pricing. Wrapping each piece for travel. Loading the U-haul trailer and remembering to bring everything we would need (shame I didn’t take any packing/moving photos)…

And then there was the food.

Lunches were kept simple with salads

(garden veggies abound at the moment),

breakfasts were oatmeal with yogurt and fresh blueberries (in season here now), homemade raspberry muffins

and on our last morning we savored a delicious quiche.

Dinners were one pot meals – chili, mac + cheese (cheese sauce below)

and a side of cornbread, black bean and sweet potato tacos complete with guacomole and on our first night, haddock chowder and blueberry pie for dessert; compliments of my cousin who lives in Northeast Harbor…

she is the reason we were able to stay in this posh town, for four days in July, over a weekend…Cheryl (my cousin) has a friend who does not use her home on the weekends…hence, our incredibly affordable, beautiful and convenient accommodation…thank you Cheryl and Margaret!

Back to the food.

Everything could be made and was made days in advance (except for the oatmeal) and then frozen. Voila. Meals were served with the least amount of effort and clean-up. Love that. Granted it’s a lot of work up front, but the pay off was worth it. Plus, they were all dishes I’ve made a zillion times before, so no checking in with recipes – just prep and cook…

Appetizers were enjoyed and prepared fresh.

Olives, goat cheese, guacamole, chips, salsa, hummus and sliced tomatoes topped with fresh basil leaves and freshly sliced mozzarella, to name a few…

Doesn’t sound like we’re ‘skimping’ now does it?

Budget doesn’t have to mean scarcity.

For me, it means to live within your means.

So why not do it as well as you can…(:

enjoy.

the versatile frittata…

Posted on July 12, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Frittatas are a lot like quiche, without the crust. No crust, means they are that much more convenient to prepare. The built in bonus – they are versatile. I love versatile…

Fresh eggs and veggies. Eggs and meat. Eggs and cheese. Combine all three or more or less, and you have a frittata.

Simple. Inexpensive. Quick and Healthy.

Frittatas are perfect for house guests, a potluck or brunch. They can be served warm or cold.

Expecting company and want to serve straight out of the oven? Prep veggies the night before and then simply heat, add herbs, mixed eggs and cover. Voila, a beautiful breakfast/brunch/meal is ready to be shared… freshness and scrumptiousness served up in minutes -and for a fraction of going out.

What’s not to love?

Artichoke heart and goat cheese frittata

Print this recipe!

*adapted from Patrie Grace, in Potlucks.

What you’ll need;

1 bunch spring onions or scallions, thinly sliced (substitution – 1 medium onion, chopped and browned)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup basil, finely chopped

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or 1 medium tomato, chopped)

1-2 good pinches of sea or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 large eggs, well beaten (preferably farm fresh) (:

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (I substituted brie for the goat – I was out of goat – it was great too!)

Cook onion in olive oil in a large oven proof skillet – cast iron works great – until onions are soft and brown. Add the garlic, cook briefly.

Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil. Stir gently, until all vegetables are heated through.

Reduce heat to low and pour the beaten eggs on top, covering all the vegetables.

Cover skillet and cook until eggs are firm on the bottom, about 5-7 minutes…give it a little shimmy to see how firm it is on the bottom. If more time is needed go on a minute to minute basis…

Uncover and place under the broiler, watching carefully until frittata is lightly golden. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and return for 1-3 minutes.

Slice, then garnish with ribboned basil or freshly chopped chives and serve.

Enjoy with a light green salad and or pan fried potatoes.

Serve with soup and salad.

Eat warm or cold – either way, it’s delicious!

enjoy the weekend!

P.S. Fun fact – the cute rooster plate I found at my local freebie barn – actually, I found an entire dish set for four, including, tea cups, saucers, side plates and dinner plates – plus, the lovely green bowl the eggs are photographed in … I love that place! (:

summertime strawberries make fabulous smoothies

Posted on July 9, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Yeah for fresh picked summertime strawberries! Picking strawberries is such a delight this time of year in Maine…even on a cloudy cool day…

Finn and I went picking last week and we had so much fun. We were the only ones there! I think the clouds and drizzle kept everyone else away – which was just fine with us…it was like having our own private strawberry field. It was lovely and so peaceful…snacking on berries, looking out at cloud shrouded hills with a gentle mist falling all around, and cows grazing nearby…it was a magic day in Maine, to say the least…

The strawberry fields were a part of a larger organic farm, Uncas Farm, in Whitefield Maine. The farm is an organic farm and they have a super sweet general store on the premises where they offer sandwiches, soup, coffee, local meats and their own produce…plus, lots of other fabulous goodies…enjoy them in their homey cafe and peruse a book or two (they have a mini library there too!) or take lunch with you…either way, it’s a great spot to go picking organic strawberries, so we did.

Now, what to do with all those strawberries…hmmm…last year we made biscuits and then topped them with strawberries and cream – this year, we’ll do the same, though we’ve also been enjoying a super simple, nutritious and quick snack – strawberry banana smoothies!

They are so easy with fresh or frozen fruit that you should try them this summer too…

Here’s what you’ll need;

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1-1.5 cups plain yogurt

1-2 tablespoons ground flax (easy way to get all those omega benefits!)

a bit (or more) of honey

and that’s it!

Chop and place all in blender.

Blend and pour.

There is nothing better than a freshly made batch of fruit based beverage – added bonus are all the nutrients and the versatility…

Other combo. possibilities;

peanut butter and yogurt

yogurt and blueberries

blueberries, rasberries and banana

What’s your favorite combo?

Try it for yourself and see how refreshing (and filling) this beverage is -especially on those sweltering summer days…

enjoy.

P.S. Fun fact – my blender and fun strawberry glass were picked up for free at my local ‘freebie barn’.

the perfect pizza

Posted on June 28, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Yeast free, thin and crispy pizza dough. Yum.

It takes little to no time to make this dough and it requires the most basic of ingredients (recipe below).

Flour, water, baking powder, salt and olive oil. That’s it. No waiting for the yeast to rise and then rise again…no.

Simply blend dry ingredients, make a well, add wet ingredients, mix then knead and roll.

What’s left to do? Bake and top with the delicacies of your choice.

Pizza made by your own two hands is not only budget friendly and versatile, it’s also forgiving and delicious. Top it with whatever you have on hand or go all out and intentionally plan your pizza party…

Perhaps your in the mood for a white pizza? Go for it. Maybe you want the richness of tomatoes, so you start with a red sauce base and build from there…can’t decide to go vegetarian or not – why not make one of each? (do pre-cook your meats). Veggie options are practically endless…here’s a few of my favorites – roasted red peppers, yellow peppers, sauteed zucchini, sauteed mushrooms, smashed sweet potato (seriously good with goat cheese), roasted corn, artichokes, olives, spinach, swiss chard, kale, broccoli, (lightly sauté these greens prior to using), red onions, fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted fennel, garlic.

One cheese or three cheese? Mozzarella is the classic cheese, but don’t forget about asiago, feta, goat, asiago or ricotta…or any combination thereof…

Lastly, finish with fresh herbs – basil, parsley, fennel or green onions – freshly cracked pepper (or spicy red pepper) and a pinch of salt.

Bake in oven at 425 F for 10-15 minutes or until cheese (or toppings) start (s) to melt and brown, just slightly.

Rest for 5 minutes, cut and serve.

Thin and crispy pizza crust

Print this recipe!

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups warm water + 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center.

Pour in wet ingredients.

Blend with fork or spoon until a ball begins to form.

Incorporate as much as you can from the sides and bottom of bowl with your hands…

Form into ball.

Add 1/2 teaspoon +/- of water if needed…sometimes I need more, sometimes I need less…not sure why? Perhaps begin with less and add as needed…if it ends up too wet, add a bit more flour…

Knead dough in bowl 2-3 times.

Move to floured surface and work/knead dough until elastic. A few minutes should do…

Toss a bit more flour out on the counter.

Place dough in center. Press down to flatten.

Finish to size using a rolling pin.

Lightly dust pizza stone/dish with corn meal.

Carefully lift rolled and flattened dough onto cornmeal dusted pizza stone.

Drizzle edges with olive oil – smooth into dough with hands.

Bake 6-8 minutes, or until lightly golden, in a preheated 375 F oven.

Remove from oven. Let rest 4-6 minutes.

Cover base with red sauce.

Add whatever toppings you choose.

Top with cheese – mozzarella, asiago, parmesan, feta, goat or ricotta

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite pizza combination?

Do you have a fabulous recipe for pizza? Link up here…

Have a great weekend!

*fun fact – pizza stone picked up for free from my local transfer station…

two tacos please

Posted on June 4, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

People love tacos! I’m one of those people…

Tacos can be as simple or complex as you’d like.

My two favorites are black bean and sweet potato tacos and fish tacos with cabbage.

Here’s how I make my black bean tacos;

I season my homemade black beans with finely chopped sauteed onions, a bit of garlic, a heaping dash of cumin, salt pepper and a bit of chipotle and the juice of two freshly squeezed limes – or more, depending upon the quantity.

I mash up some cooked sweet potatoes to make sweet potato mash. I just add a bit of salt while mashing.

I heat up a few organic hard corn shells and assemble chosen ingredients.

Ideas for taco fillings;

goat cheese

avocado

salsa

sauteed mushrooms

raw greens – lettuce, spinach, swiss chard (shredded)

cheddar cheese

walnuts (so good!)

guacamole

refried beans

roasted peppers

seasoned chicken

shredded steak

battered and fried fish

Let your mind go wild – add what you like…keep it vegetarian or not…

What kind of tacos do you like? Hard or soft shells? Flour or corn? The options are endless…

Enjoy

blueberry muffins

Posted on May 24, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Looking for something to do on a rainy day?

Why don’t you bake muffins? Blueberry muffins!

They are super easy, yummy and perfect for breakfast or as a snack. They can be frozen for another day or enjoyed immediately, still warm, and slathered with butter… or given as gifts…what friend wouldn’t just love a dozen of freshly baked muffins?

So why don’t you get out your muffin tins and get going!

Blueberry Muffins

Print this recipe From the Joy of Cooking – All About Breakfast & Brunch

makes 12 muffins

Assemble Ingredients;

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs (don’t fret if you don’t have ‘large’ eggs – use what you have)

1 cup milk (or cream – you decide the richness)

2/3 cup cane sugar or light brown sugar (try not using white sugar)

4 tablespoons warm, melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Here’s what you need to do;

Grease or line with paper/silicone muffin cups for 12-cup muffin, standard muffin pan…

Whisk together in a large bowl;

flour (2 cups)

baking powder (1 tablespoon)

salt (1/2 teaspoon salt)

Whisk together in a seperate bowl;

eggs (2 eggs)

milk (1 cup milk)

sugar (2/3 cup light brown/cane, white if necessary)

butter (4 tablespoons warm, melted butter)

vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Add ‘wet’ mixture to the ‘dry’ mixture, until just blended, moistened. Don’t over mix – batter should not be smooth…add the blueberries (1.5 cups), gently…

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Careful not to overfill or underfill – nearly to the top, without going to the top…Sprinkle brown/cane sugar on top.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in a few muffins, comes out clean…

Let cool 15 minutes on cooling rack before removing.

Serve warm, with butter or as is…

enjoy the weekend!

(and the muffins!)

PS. The cooling rack and the cook book were picked up, for free, from my local transfer station…I just love that place!

white bean cutlets save the day

Posted on May 21, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Thankfully, the official last frost date has passed…though, only two days prior to ‘the’ date, we had a frost warning – what? – it’s May, practically June, what’s with this frost advisory?

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Frost advisory?

‘Are you serious?’, I said, out loud, to no one…but the radio…

My immediate next thought was, ‘Well, if this is true, I better go cover the greens in the garden and get cooking – something to not only warm our tummies, but our sprit as well’, so that’s just what I did.

I decided to make white bean cutlets.

They are a lovely blend of warming herbs, fresh bread (crumbs) and sublime white beans…add to this loveliness, chopped carrots, celery and chives and well, you’ve got cutlet love…

Top it all with mushroom gravy and serve alongside freshly steamed, buttered green beans and you’ve got the perfect solution to the ups and downs of spring in New England.

This dish is both for warming and soothing…just what the body (and mind) needs when facing the reality that in the morning there just may be frost on the ground – despite the fact that June is only 12 days away (well, it was when this was written)!

White Bean Cutlets

adapted from savvyvegetarian

Print this recipe!

Ingredients

2 cups white beans rinsed and drained (try preparing yourself from dried)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 good pinch freshly chopped chives (or two scallions, chopped)

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. fresh thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

1/4 cup flour – not all may be needed – any flour will work

1 cup finely chopped fresh breadcrumbs*

* no breadcrumbs? No problem, chop and whiz bread pieces/slices with crusts in food processor. No processor? Simply rip and finely chop bread and crusts. No bread? Try this yeast free recipe.

I’m all about being resourceful… (: One has to be when living milessssss from town

Here’s what you’ll do

1. Heat oil on medium/low in heavy bottomed fry pan.

2. Saute carrot and celery until soft, about 5-8 minutes.

3. Add all herbs and spices, except parsley, to fry pan and saute another 2-4 minutes. Constantly stirring…

4. Place cooked and rinsed beans in food processor, add sauteed veggies and spices, parsley, salt, pepper and bread crumbs into processor and combine just until mixed.

5. Add flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time until mixture is thick enough to form patties. aka, cutlets.

6. Form into patties and let chill one hour in fridge.

7. Heat oil in fry pan and fry each 6-8 minutes each side, until nicely browned.

8. Top with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy.

Vegetarian deliciousness served up in a cutlet…feeds not only the body, but the soul as well…

Enjoy

PS. If you omit the milk and butter in the gravy, you’ll have a delicious vegan recipe too!

loveliness in a loaf pan

Posted on May 7, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Meatloaf. I love meatloaf. Not meat meatloaf, but meat(less)loaf.

I love slicing into it, topping it with extra sauce and then serving it alongside mashed potatoes with freshly snipped chives…

I love its texture and hardiness. Its down home simplicity. Its common ingredients…

Especially on fog enshrouded evenings…comfort food in spring I say, and healthy at that!

Meatloaf without the meat.

Try it.

You’ll never know ’till you do…

Mushroom meat(less)loaf

adapted from the silver palette

Print this recipe!

2 cups white beans

1/2 cup walnuts, ground

generous pinch of coarse salt

generous pinch of ground pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup organic ketchup (no high fructose corn syrup here)

1/2 tsp. basil (dried or fresh)

1 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)

2 eggs

2 tbsp. parsley, chopped

4-6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sauteed till browned

1/2 tsp. oregano

Cook beans and drain. If using canned, drain and rinse. Mash beans with fork.

Slice and saute mushrooms until browned (saute in butter or olive oil)

Add oatmeal, nuts, and eggs, to mashed beans, mix well.

Blend mixture with herbs, ketchup, mushrooms, onions, salt + pepper

Place mixture in a greased 9″ X 5″ X 2″ (or thereabouts…)loaf pan.

Top with red sauce. (recipe below)

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Red Sauce

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp.olive oil for sauteing

1 cup crushed tomatoes or diced

1 handful fresh spinach, kale or swiss chard, chopped

Saute onion in olive oil until browned.

Add chopped greens, saute until softened.

Add tomatoes.

Stir.

enjoy!

vegetarian honey and vegetable winter soup

Posted on March 3, 2013 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Great information. Great recipe! Enjoy…

Romancing the Bee

Reprinted from Salon.com

There’s never been a better time to be a half-assed vegetarian. Five years ago, the American Dialect Society honored the word flexitarian for its utility in describing a growing demographic—the “vegetarian who occasionally eats meat.” Now there’s evidence that going flexi is good for the environment and good for your health. A study released last October found that a plant-based diet, augmented with a small amount of dairy and meat, maximizes land-use efficiency. In January, Michael Pollan distilled the entire field of nutritional science into three rules for a healthy diet: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” According to a poll released last week, Americans seem to be listening: Thirteen percent of U.S. adults are “semivegetarian,” meaning they eat meat with fewer than half of all their meals. In comparison, true vegetarians—those who never, ever consume animal flesh—compose just 1 percent.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

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Ripe Red Berries

Tag Archives: vegetarian

plump pancakes

life last week…

the versatile frittata…

summertime strawberries make fabulous smoothies

the perfect pizza

two tacos please

blueberry muffins

white bean cutlets save the day

loveliness in a loaf pan

vegetarian honey and vegetable winter soup

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