Thanks to Melissa for Hosting!

As you can see from this yummy looking
spread, Melissa did a great job hosting Cooking Club!! The halibut came out very moist and flavorful and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for having us over...and we were all very happy to have Kate join us for the night. We all had a great time. Can't wait to see what Lisa's going to cook us for dinner in August!

Here are some photos from Cooking Club hosted by Melissa:

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Serves 8

1/4 cup olive oil
a little less than 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
salt to taste
1 large bin of baby spinach
1.5 pints of strawberries
slivered almonds - approximately 1/4-1/3 cup

Slice strawberries
Mix olive oil, champagne vinegar and salt
Pour dressing mixture on salad and toss - note that I did not use anywhere near the whole amount, so don't pour the whole thing on at once, just do it to taste.
Add almonds and strawberries and toss again

Halibut en Papillote

I based this recipe on one I saw in the Sonoma Diet cookbook but I made a few additions and deletions.



Serves 8

24 ounces of yellow summer squash, sliced
24 ounces of zucchini, sliced
2 cartons of grape tomatoes, cut in half
1.5 cups kalamata olives, chopped into apprximately sixths
2 fresh lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons white wine (approximately...this was one of my additions and I just used two "splashes")
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh chopped basil (optional, I forgot this when I was doing it)
4 large cloves of garlic (or 6 average size cloves), chopped
8 halibut fillets, approximately 4-5 oz each

Take summer squash, zucchini, and grape tomatoes and mix with hands in bowl with lemon juice, wine and olive oil. Add kalamatas. Let sit while preparing other ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Tear 8 15x15 squares of parchment paper and fold in half diagonally.

Rinse and pat dry halibut.

Place each halibut fillet on the bottom side of the parchment paper, so it is up against the crease. Top with 1/8 of the squash mixture.

Drizzle any remaining juice from the squash bowl over the mixture.

Seal packets. Use oil or butter to wet the edges and then roll them over each other and crinkle.

Cook for 17 minutes. Let sit for a minute or two and then remove from parchment. Serve with baguette or whatever else you'd like.

Melon with Salt and Mint

For a simple summer dessert, take one melon and cut into chunks. Top with fresh chopped mint and a sprinkling of salt.

thanks for coming over!

I am stoked the Otsu went over so well... it was definitely the "healthy" contribution to the meal. Next time I will have a more unified theme. :)

Recipe: Apricot Crisp

Ingredients
2-1/2 lbs apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
7 T sugar
pinch of nutmeg

Topping
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Quaker oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the fruit, sugar, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Toss until the fruit is coated with sugar. Set aside.

To make the topping: Put the butter and sugar in a food processor; process until combined. Mix together the oatmeal, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and process until crumbly.

Spoon the fruit into a buttered 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool.

Notes: this recipe came from several sources and is supremely adaptable. You may need more or less sugar depending on your fruit. I used half the butter called for (that counts as lightening up a recipe, right?). I also recommend turning the oven up to 400 degrees.

Recipe: Otsu

From Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking

Ingredients

Grated zest of 1 lemon
Fresh ginger, cut into a 1-inch cube, peeled, and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup shoyu sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small handful of cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

Make the dressing by combining the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth. Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu, and pulse to combine. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender, then drain and rinse under cold running water.

While the pasta is cooking, drain the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into rectangles roughly the size of your thumb (½ inch thick and 1 inch long). Cook the tofu in a dry nonstick (or well-seasoned) skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side.

Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ cup cilantro, the green onions, cucumber, and about ⅔ cup of the dressing.

Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently. Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and the toasted sesame seeds.

Note: shrimp works equally well next to or in lieu of the tofu!