Swing Eats

Trust me.  Really.  I know, I know this sounds totally bizarre....  These perfect little green gems are super easy to make, crisp and refreshing, and pack a little bit of heat.   These make the perfect unexpected appetizer everyone is amazed that they like.  Give it a go!    (Biggest chemist secret: how to clean your hands properly after cutting a jalapeno....  Rub you hands with any kind of oil, followed by a good lathered wash with soap.  It works!  It removes all the capsicum that is oil soluble (like dissolves like) and that could burn your eyes when you inadvertently rub your eyes with hot pepper fingers.  Ouch.)     Ingredients: green grapes drunken goat cheese jalapeno peppers toothpicks Directions: Wash and dry the grapes.  Cut the rind off of the drunken goat cheese and cut into uniform small cubes, slightly small than the grapes.  Prepare the jalapeno by cutting the top off, cutting in half ...

One of the wonderful little antipasto inventions is the frico from the northeastern region of Italy known as Friuli-Venezia Giulia. A frico is nothing more than a crisp-fried cheese wafer made with grated cheese. Even though it is simple, it can be bit tricky to make. Once you have made one successfully, it does seem so easy. Traditionally, the cheese used for making it is a three-month-old Montasio, a cow’s milk cheese with a buttery, creamy taste that melts very well. Traditionally, frico is cooked in a skillet. The difficult part of making a crisp frico, what is called locally frico croccante, is knowing when to remove the wafer from the pan. If it cooks too long and becomes too golden brown, it will become bitter. Therefore, a more fail-safe way to cook it is in the oven on parchment or a silicone baking sheet. Montasio cheese can be found in cheese stores and gourmet markets. If you cannot find it, you can try using freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grating from...

Only in the past couple of years have I discovered how awesome kale is. When talking about dark leafy greens, the nutritional powerhouse that is kale resides on top. My favorite way to prepare kale had been making chips out of them. The standard procedure consisted of lightly coating the whole kale leaves, stalk removed, season, and bake in oven at low temperature until crisp. Delicious, but too oily for me to call healthy. Then I kept hearing more about kale salad, where the kale is broken down by acid and then dressed. Hm. I usually steer clear of putting any acid into any green vegetables, knowing that breaks down chlorophyll, along with the nutritional content and flavor, as well as transforming it into a drab olive green. Somehow kale salad works on a few different levels. First off, it is delicious. The preparation proves to be super easy without having to cook anything, with the exception of maybe toasting some nuts. This salad gets better upon refrigeration, whereas traditi...

To be honest, I never heard of quinoa (pronounced: keen-wah) before my Celiac diagnosis. After my initial consultation with a dietitian, 12 years ago, I discovered a whole new world of grains that are gluten-free: quinoa, millet, buckwheat, teff, and so many others. They all have unique texture and taste as well as power-packed with nutrients. Quinoa has become one of my standbys. Quino a is an ancient, super-food from South America. It contains about 14% protein and all of the essential amino acids your body needs, i.e, it is a complete protein. Important tip with quinoa: it must be RINSED well with water (using a fine mesh sieve/strainer) before cooking it. There's this weird smelling enzyme that coats it and can be strong and wreck your senses. It is so worth the effort. I make quinoa up as pilafs, tabbouleh, steamed. This time, I let my fridge dictate what method to use for my quinoa love. I saw small bok choy, giant shiitake mushrooms, and green onions. I worked at a Chines...

The flavor imparted to asparagus by roasting is usually overlooked. Roasted potatoes with rosemary remains a standard in my culinary repertoire for many years.  Why not combine the two in one winning side dish? As an Angeleno, I love to go to at least one farmer's market a week. The produce in Southern California blows my mind. This week I picked up a tiny bag of fingerling potatoes and a beautiful bunch of asparagus from the same vendor. Asparagus can hold their own against roasting and rosemary, just not the same time in the oven as potatoes. And the rosemary I was able to source from my yard. Really, it's impossible to over roast the potatoes. I love them on the crispy side. Only about five minutes is needed to roast the asparagus. Note on the potatoes: don't be tempted to use the red-skinned ones, they have too much sugar - will not cook up right in the oven and will burn. Ingredients: 1 pound fingerling potatoes 1 bunch asparagus, fibrous ends removed 2 tablespoo...

The Greeks know how to do Easter.  Spanakopita is a staple for Greek Easter, along with all the lamb.  I also call this delicious treat spanakopita Minus The -Opita  What the what?! You know, the Greek spinach pie with the phyllo - spanakopita without the phyllo. "Pita" means pie in Greek.... So I guess it's really more like Greek spinach casserole, but spanakopita minus the -opita sounds like more fun to me.  I make this for just about every holiday and party that I'm asked to bring food throughout the whole year. This is super easy to make and everyone loves it. Better still, it is gluten-free, and can be served at any temperature. Since this recipe uses such few ingredients, the quality is paramount. Use fresh baby spinach, nice and tender green onions/scallions, and the best sheep's milk feta you can find. Please, for the love of god, don't ever buy the pre-crumbled feta. My favorite feta is the French sheep's milk feta cheese at Costco, wh...

As an Irish girl, I love potatoes. When presented with this week's sensational sides theme of mashed, I knew was going to make potatoes. Italian smashed potatoes have become one of my favorite way to mash potatoes. It's just boiled unpeeled red potatoes with Italian parsley, a good Italian hard cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Remember, all those nutritional goodies are in the skins. They go with everything. So simple. The amount of these ingredients listed below is a mere suggestion. Ingredients: 2 pounds of red skinned potatoes 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped 1/4 pound of really good pecorino romano or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, grated salt and pepper to taste Directions: Rinse, clean, and cut the potatoes into roughly equivalent chunks to ensure even cooking. Place them in a medium to large sauce pot with salted water. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Boil under fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove a...