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Spain ….wow who new? I’ll be cheering for Spain in this final. Yep! Sorry Netherlands I have no sympathy for ya! You know …. I’m holding a grudge since you all of a sudden decided to become so good and kick my country out of the world cup. I’m still sulking. So to show my love for Spain I decide to make this green gazpacho. We luuuuuve Gazpachos here in this love nest. LOL You can check my other version here. I think Gazpachos are great to take on a summer picnic. Enjoy.

Spanish Green Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 3 green tomatoes chopped
• 2 cups coarsely chopped seeded peeled cucumbers
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup (2 ounces) cubed crust less white bread
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Salt and pepper
• Additional olive oil

Direction:

Puree first all ingredients in food processor. Add bread and let stand until soggy, about 2 minutes. Puree until smooth. Mix in 1 1/2 cups water. Transfer gazpacho to large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

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Tapas, mezze, Antipasti, what they all have in common? They are all the same thing… its little portions of some delicious appetizers that usually you eat while sipping some nice wine. What could be better than drinking wine, nibbling some yummy food and talking nonsense with your love one? Awwwww love…. it makes everything better right? If you had a bad day, or got aggravated with something, you get home and find a sparkling clean house, with fresh flowers, and a spread with your favorite things waiting for you. Isn’t that precious? I know…. I’m really spoiling my hubby…. but he so deserve it. So let’s see what we have here…I got these little darling eggplants at the FM this morning, and my favorite way of cooking them is by roasting them in the oven. It’s easy and it accentuates the flavors. Simply season with salt flakes, freshly grounded black pepper, red chili flakes, olive oil and you are good to go.

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Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Salad

• 2 pounds eggplant
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and sliced
• 8 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1-tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2-teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Red chili flakes
• 6-tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
• 2-tablespoon finely julienne fresh Mint

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice the eggplants and put them in salted water for couple of minutes. Slice the peppers Drain the eggplants and pat dry them with paper towel. Mix the peppers, unpeeled garlic cloves, and the eggplants. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, red chili flakes. Roast them for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly then add the lemon juice, fresh parsley and the mint. I served this salad with pita bread and hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika and Kalamata olives.

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Awwww Valentine’s day… yesterday was Valentines Day in Brazil so we always celebrate twice. Sweeeeet right? Lately I’m into knives because as you probably noticed, a good honest knife saves a lot of aggravation in the kitchen. I have learned some knife skills and I have this fabulous book from Norman Weinstein called “Mastering the knife skills”. It’s a great book and it comes with a DVD. Norman Weinstein is a teacher at the Culinary institute in NY, his classes are always sold out. So I thought I had solid knife skills, but I just found out I’m ehh… not that great. So my hubby decided to give me as a Valentine’s Day gift, a really good knife. He took me to Sur La Table where this knife specialist really educated us on knives and how to use it. She was amazing, she knew everything about it and cutting the vegetables she just put me to shame. So I’ll be back training. Sigh* He gave me a Shun Classic Chef’s Knife, 8″. Wow… that baby can split hair. I hope I can keep my fingers LOL. This week also I got my delivery from CSN it was a gift cards giveaway at the Duo Dishes. Chrystal and Amir are now making some waves at the Chef’s Table. You should check them out. They are a lovely couple. And if you are trying to guess what I got at the store…. It starts with a K and ends with e. Yep! I got more knives. What to do? So to put my new baby to practice I made this very colorful salad with Heirloom tomatoes, watercress, cucumber, feta and blueberries. With mint and yogurt dressing. And no fingers were harmed in the process.

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Heirloom Tomatoes and Blueberry Salad

For the Salad:

• 2 Heirloom tomatoes sliced
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1 cup of feta cheese cubes
• 1 bunch of watercress

For the dressing:

• 1 small bunch of mint
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• In a food processor or blender mix all the dressing ingredients.  And serve the salad with dressing a part. It’s a really refreshing dressing. Enjoy.

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I have some sneaky vampire bugs munching on my herbs, couldn’t they just eat one leaf or two and then gracefully leave. No…they have to put a hole in every single leaf. And don’t matter how much I look for the bandits, I can’t find them. So today I asked my bug guy at the Farmer’s Market; and he told me that the bugs hide during the day and come to eat in the middle of the night. Just so you know, tonight I’m going to wait for them. If anybody has some tips on how to catch those vampire bugs or some organic way to vanquish them. Please let me know. I got beautiful peaches at the FM today and was wondering what to do with them. Cakes and crumbles came to mind, but in the end I decided to make a salad. Also it was the first time I used fresh fava beans. So I had to watch some video of how to. Enjoy.

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Peach and Fava Beans Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shelled fresh fava beans
• 1/4-cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4-cup olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 or 3 peaches sliced
• Baby Arugula
• Prosciutto
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Fill a bowl with ice and water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fava beans and cook until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water. Drain again and remove outer skins. Place the beans in a bowl. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil and whisk until blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the beans and mix well. Add the peaches, prosciutto, the arugula and the shaved Parmesan cheese.

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Since I started buying my veggies at the Farmer’s Market I have discovered a big variety of things I had never seen before at grocery stores. Without say how fresh everything is. I have used Amaranth before but just the grains, last Sunday at the Hollywood FM I saw this beautiful red and green bunches and when I asked the lady she told me it was red Amaranth. She probably noticed my puzzled face than she said also known as Chinese spinach. Well… say no more…. It looks stunning I have to try it. Now…. Panzanella is my favorite salad ever because if you know anything about me is that I am addicted to bread. So a salad that soaks bread in olive oil and lemon juice, have to be my fave, right? But trust me on that; it would insult the ingredients to use store bought croutons. So I bought a nice crusty Italian bread and cut it into small cubes and then massaged the olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and the red chili flakes. You’ll see it will be the best croutons you ever had. I also tossed some feta in my salad. But it’s optional. Enjoy.

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Red Amaranth Panzanella

• I bunch of spinach or romaine lettuce
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 small Italian rustic bread cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
• Cherry tomatoes
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2-cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped capers, drained

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven 350F and in a large bowl mix the bread cubes, the olive oil, salt, oregano, and the chili flakes. Toss it to mix it well than cover a baking tray with aluminum foil and spread the bread evenly. Toast it for 5 to 8 minutes or until golden. For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, spinach, and basil. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper.