Summer Avocado Chicken Salad

insalata di pollo/chicken salad

It was yet another beautiful day in Utah today. Windy…but beautiful. Because I can’t go to boot camp anymore, for the time being, I decided to go to the pool before the swim team had their practice at 6:30. Happily, I was able to fit in ten 100 meter freestyles. Then, home for a quick bit, back to the gym for a water aerobics class, and a freestyle class. Our freestyle teacher, Triathlete coach Dave Pruetz, had me doing ladders. Not so easy (for me), after working out arms yesterday! So, by 11AM, I had swam (all total) over a mile. I was so excited, especially since I could barely swim 25 meters two weeks ago. Woohoo! I need to check with the Y when I get home to see about swimming there to keep this up, until I can get back.

After I began to see gills forming, I went home…famished. One of my new friend’s here, Julie, made a great chicken salad. It was so good, I didn’t want to stop! As a matter of fact, I am not sure I chewed...maybe Hoover (vacuum) is more like it. LOL. I will definitely be making this one when I get back to Atlanta.

Now, I don’t have exact measurements, but isn’t that the joy of cooking? A little of this…a little of that!

I served it (to myself) as an open-faced sandwich on top of a delicious slice of Jack Spratt Sprouted Wheat Bread and a slice of tomato. This was the first time I have tasted Jack Spratt bread, but it is not the first time I have heard of it. Kalyn (who I will be seeing Friday, along with Maria) has mentioned the bread before. It is baked by Gregory's Clinton Wheat Shop in Bountiful Utah, does not have any added fat, and is 100% whole sprouted wheat. (Speaking of bread, Maria just made Honey Whole Wheat Bread, too….yum!)

Summer Avocado Chicken Salad

1 ½ lbs. grilled chicken, diced
2 avocados, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 ½ lemons
½ cup carrots, diced
3 Tbsp. Smart Balance® Mayonnaise
Salt/pepper to taste

Combine the chicken and carrots; set aside. In a food processor, blend the mayo, avocado, and juice. Pour over the chicken and mixed well. Add salt/pepper if needed.

Who Said Soup is Only for Winter Months?

mozzafiato/breathtaking

It has been a while, I know! But, great things have been happening and lots of changes are in store for this girl. I am so excited for things to come and am really positive about what’s next for me. But, as I iron out details, I am keeping everything close to my belt. As soon as the info becomes public, I will let you know. Just know, that all the griping and complaining in recent months has come to an end. Woohoo!

Anyway, I am still in Utah…I leave on Sunday. Bummer! It won't be goodbye though; I have fallen in love! With the area....not a guy. heee! Here are some pictures of my last and final hike for this stay because I have been banned all activity accept for pool and recumbent bike. Physical Therapist orders. I can't remember if I mentioned this, but...since I went hog wild with the hiking, boot camp, running, etc, I have not only sprained one meniscus and strained one patella (in my knee), but both knees are jacked up! Nice, huh? I guess what is worth doing is worth doing well!

These are just some pics from our hike at Little Cottonwood Trail. There was nothing little about it, as we climbed an almost vertical incline that increased 600 ft. in elevation in no time. I didn't make it to the top, but "allegedly" there is flat land and beautiful meadows.

Happily, the gang is still letting me in the kitchen. My latest endeavor? Soup! Or, since I didn’t exactly measure, it was more of (in the words of Rachel Ray) a Stoup. It was delicious. And, really healthy. It seemed to get positive reviews by the others, so I was pleased.

Beef Vegetable Soup
(adapted ever so slightly) from Fitness Magazine

1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces (I used stew meat)

3 medium carrots, cut into ½ - inch thick slices.

2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ - inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 14½ oz. cans diced tomatoes (I used a mix of diced and stewed)

1 cup water

½ cup loose-pack frozen peas

Fresh Parsley Sprigs (optional)

In a heavy pot (about 4 quarts) sprayed with PAM, quickly brown the beef. (Do not do this for long or the meat with become tough and chewy.) Add the carrots, potatoes, & onion. Sprinkle the salt and thyme. Add bay leaf and tomatoes and their juices and the water. Stir until the ingredients are combined. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables have reached your preferred doneness. Remove bay leaf, stir in peas. When serving, garnish with parsley (optional). Makes 4 Servings.

Happy Independence Day

Giorno dell'Indipendenza/Independence Day

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend and Happy Independence Day!

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

gnam gnam/yum yum

Utah has been a wonderful experience for me. It has been just what I needed. And, if I can swing it, I would like to move out here. But, that’s stuff to think through later as I begin negotiations. :) In the meantime, those of us in the house here are on a mission to eat well, live well. Part of this eating well (for me) has been omitting caffeine. No Diet Coke, no Coffee. Phew! That has been a challenge.

Eating-wise, this next one isn’t an issue for me because I don’t eat a lot of bread. Baking-wise? Ugh! What am I talking about? Butter. There is not a stick of butter in this house. Since my home kitchen is more of a baker’s kitchen than a family “use to cook meals” kitchen, I have 5 lbs. of unsalted butter in my refrigerator at any given time. The only evidence of something like butter in the Utah house is I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter spray. (I think I just heard Paula Deen shriek!)

Nonetheless, you can take the girl out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the girl. I have been dying because my baking has virtually come to a halt over the last two weeks. I am living vicariously by checking blogs and with Just Baking. I did manage to sneak in Vegan cupcakes for Father’s Day, but that’s it. I had to get in there again. Thank goodness for Adam’s girls and for Martha Stewart’s Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies.

“Adam? Can I make the girls cookies?”
“Sure, but I will have to taste test them.”

Woohoo! No problem. I was off to market. I was going to buy butter!

There I was…walking down the aisle in Draper’s Walmart’s Neighborhood Market when I noticed….wait…didn’t notice my typical Land O’ Lakes boxes. Butter. Where’s the butter? There was Smart Balance, there was I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter, and there was Country Crock. WTF, people? Further proof, other than the zillion cyclists, runners, gym crowds, that this area is filled with health conscious people. So, I caved. I bought the I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter Light tub.

I had my doubts. But, I must admit that there wasn’t too much of a difference with the end product. There is the part where I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter is salted, whereas the recipe called for unsalted. No biggy, though. And, the Natural Peanut butter worked well, too! Next time, I may dunk the whole cube in chocolate and pretend they're peanut butter cups.

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
a (slightly adapted) Martha Stewart Recipe
Makes 40

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup Adam’s Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
1 ½ cups nonfat dry milk
4 tablespoons I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup (about 2 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread oatmeal in an ungreased baking pan, and toast until it is lightly browned, about 11 minutes, shaking once. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter and nonfat dry milk. Stir in toasted oatmeal, and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in honey. Pour the butter mixture over the peanut-butter mixture, and stir until well combined. Allow to cool slightly.

Shape into about forty logs, each about 2 1/2 inches long. Place the logs onto a wire rack or a parchment-lined baking sheet, and set aside.

Place chocolate morsels in a small heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler, and set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer melted chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain round tip. Pipe chocolate onto the cookie logs. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 week.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

sensazionale/sensational

It's Daring Baker Challenge time again! I actually baked this at the beginning of the month because I knew I was going to be in Utah. The timing worked out because I was able to bring the tarts to a BBQ. I was thrilled when one of the girls I work with stopped and stated..."Well, this tastes like a Bakewell Tart!" Woohoo! Success, without having to say or write anything.

Before I explain what I did...I must tell you that The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of "Confessions Of A Cardamom Addict" (Canada) and Annemarie of "Ambrosia And Nectar" (UK). They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er.. that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Ok...I completed my tart…er…pudding a little different. Because I was leaving for Utah for over a month, I didn't want to buy any groceries. I also wanted to use up what I had in the house. So, I am sure you can find the original recipe over at Jasmine's or Annmarie's, but I am posting what I did here.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding
Made one 6” tart and 5 mini tarts

What you need -
1 batch of a sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour
1 cup jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (I used raspberry)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the center and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 35 minutes. The top will be poofy and brownish.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract or 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Frangipane
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing/confectioners sugar
3 (3) eggs
236 ml (8 oz.)
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in color and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, add the praline paste and the flour. Mix well.

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Before closing, I must share with you the most phenomenal rainbow I have ever laid my eyes upon. I couldn't get a complete shot and a picture could never do it total justice, but the rainbow below came out after a pretty blustery storm here in Sandy, Utah. It was a full double rainbow that had me in awe as it waved at us from the mountains. Its shear beauty has left me stunned.... another reason why I think I need to move here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!