mint Archives - Aggie's Kitchen

Fattoush Salad {Fresh Lebanese Garden Salad with Toasted Pita Bread}

Aggie Goodman — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:04:06 +0000

You will love this Lebanese-inspired Fattoush Salad filled with fresh garden vegetables, herbs & toasted pita pieces, dressed with lemon & olive oil.

When I first learned of Fattoush Salad, I felt like I hit the jackpot. All the fresh vegetables, and the crunch of seasoned, toasted pita scattered within the salad…does it get much better? I don’t know about you but I need a little crunch in my salads – I have a weakness for crunchy croutons so I try to healthfully swap for nuts instead. Toasted whole wheat pita (I love the Joseph’s brand) is another go-to of mine after discovering this Middle Eastern inspired salad.

My version of Lebanese Fattoush Salad isn’t as traditional as it could be. I didn’t have sumac on hand and most recipes you will see do use sumac (it is dark in color and has a tangy lemony flavor) so instead I used za’atar which is a blend of spices that does typically includes sumac. Traditionally made or not, this is one of my favorite salads. This is the za’atar spice I use, thanks to my friend Liz‘s recommendation years ago.

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{Guest Post with Katie’s Cucina} Ziti and Zucchini with Lime & Herbs

Aggie Goodman — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:59:06 +0000

I asked my friend Katie from Katie’s Cucina over today to share a recipe with you all. If you haven’t been to Katie’s blog before you are in for a treat. She totally makes my kind of food…and her photography is gorgeous. I guarantee it will make you hungry. Katie will tell you a little about how we met…she’s a sweet gal and I’m really happy we have been able to meet face to face two times already. I’m looking forward to more visits together in our future. Thanks for stopping by Katie!

Hi, my name is Katie and I’m the author and voice behind Katie’s Cucina. When Aggie asked me to guest blog for her I was beyond excited. I met Aggie earlier this year at the Orlando Food Blog Forum Conference. We sat together at lunch and talked about our blogs and life. A month later we had the chance to work together and raise money for Share our Strength. A variety of food bloggers in Central Florida got together and hosted a bake-sale! It was a lot of fun and gave all of us a chance to really get to know one another. Our bake sale was so successful (we raised over $600 in 2 hours and had an additional $700 in cash donations) that we are all planning on having another bake-sale next year! Now that you know how Aggie and I met I’ll tell you a little bit about myself.

I started cooking dinner for my family at age 9 and haven’t stopped since. I’m always in search of quick, easy, and healthy recipes. It’s not all healthy though, in the most recent years I’ve found a new love for baking. You can definitely find some sweet treats on my blog on a weekly basis! You’ll also find a wide variety of vegetarian meals; like the one I’m sharing today. My mom tells me that as a kid I would only eat sides of vegetables. I never liked the traditional “kid foods” like chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese. I’ve pretty much kept with the same “vegetarian” eating style throughout my life. Not because I need too or because I feel like it’s a healthier lifestyle, but because it’s what I like. Some people like a big fat juicy steak — I prefer steamed asparagus! lol. I can’t deny it though, I do have a love affair with bacon. It’s the one thing that would hold me back from being a full fledged vegetarian. I know its not the healthiest type of meat, but it sure does taste good. I don’t just eat bacon I do indulge from time-to-time (when I’m in the mood) on poultry and beef as well. I live in Florida and my husband loves to fish, so we eat quite a bit of seafood in our home. I’m so incredibly thankful that my husband has a diverse pallet like mine. I can typically make 1-2 meatless meals for him each week and he is 100% satisfied. He loves vegetables and is addicted to fruit (the man eats more fruit than any person I know)! I hope you’ll come visit Katie’s Cucina. I have a wide variety of recipes; between the recipes I’ve created as well as recipes I’ve discovered from others!

Now, let’s talk about todays recipe…

I’m not sure about you, but I subscribe to quite a few cooking magazines. One of my favorites is Everyday with Rachael Ray. I can always count on finding at least a handful or two of quick recipes to whip up during my hectic work week. I found this recipe in the August issue and knew I had to make it. Best of all I had all of the ingredients in my home.

I wasn’t sure if my husband would like it. He likes lime, but not over powering lime. The original recipe called for the juice of two limes. I altered it and only used the juice of one lime, and it still had more than enough tangy flavor of lime throughout the pasta dish. For once I didn’t have penne on hand so I used (a sister) tube pasta to replace it, ziti. I must admit that I’m notorious for altering a recipe on the first try. If I don’t have one ingredient I replace it with a similar ingredient and vice-versa. One thing I would not alter in this recipe would be the pistachios. If you are a pistachio lover you will love using them in this pasta dish. My husband is not a big fan of nuts in dishes, but I knew he would make an exception for this dish since he adores pistachios and eats them on a weekly basis! If you love fresh herbs, zucchini, and pistachios then you will love this pasta dish.

*We ate this dish as is with no meat; however, you could easily add grilled chicken or shrimp to this dish and it would be just as good!

Ziti and Zucchini with Lime & Herbs

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper
1 pound ziti (or any tubed pasta)
3 zucchini
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil,chopped
1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese (or Parmesan) (divided)
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled, chopped, and toasted

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, halve the zucchini lengthwise, and thinly slice into 1/4-inch-by-2-inch strips.

3. In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil, over medium-high heat. Stir in the chili pepper and garlic for a minute. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, roughly 8-10 minutes.

4. While the zucchini is cooking in a small frying pan heat the chopped pistachios on medium heat. Stir frequently to ensure they don’t burn. As soon as you see them starting to brown remove them from the heat.

5. Add the lime juice to the zucchini and stir in the butter to melt. Add the pasta, parsley, mint, basil, handful of cheese, and the reserved starchy cooking water. Toss for 1-2 minutes. Top with more cheese and the toasted pistachios.

Rachael Ray, August 2011

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Watermelon Mojitos

Aggie Goodman — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:35:31 +0000

So what if it’s Monday and I am thinking about sipping on one of these. Nothing wrong with that!

I discovered this perfect summer drink on Dara’s site not long ago. I met Dara at evo ’10, and shared a few laughs with her during our Food & Photography Workshop that we attended. I connected with her right away and it’s a shame that we live across the country from each other…I wouldn’t mind making another trip out west to visit Dara, Maria and Jyl!

(Dara is one talented chickie…awesome cook, takes gorgeous photographs and is not afraid to take on this lobster!!)

If you’ve got some serious mint growing like I do, then go get yourself a watermelon right now while they’re sweet and treat yourself to one – or a couple – of these amazing drinks. Enjoy!

Watermelon Mojitos

Ingredients:

3 cups 1/2-inch cubes watermelon
12 medium to large fresh mint sprigs
6 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp granulated sugar
6 oz. light rum
4 lime slices
4 mint sprigs

Directions:

Place watermelon cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth.
In a small pitcher, combine fresh mint leaves, sugar, and fresh lime juice. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients to release the oils from the mint. Take care not to muddle to the point where the leaves fall apart. Pour rum and the watermelon puree into the pitcher and stir gently.

Recipe courtesy of Cookin' Canuck

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Giada’s Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

Aggie Goodman — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Do you ever see a recipe on a cooking show and just have to make it immediately?

I had to make this salad. I’ve been thinking about it all week (there I go again, being obsessive about food…)…but you know what I mean right? I know a lot of you are not in grilling weather right now, and to be honest with you it is cold, dreary and rainy here in FL right now. But that wasn’t going to stop me, I grilled these babies indoors… if you don’t have a grill pan, it is so worth the investment, I use mine all the time.

(Zebra Eggplant from the Lake Mary Farmer’s Market…aren’t they pretty?…)

I have been craving really fresh and healthy food lately…I think having hamburgers and pulled pork in the same week does that to you…I’ll have to plan better next time. This salad definitely hit the spot. The flavor combination could not get any better…grilled eggplant, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and basil…simply dressed in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So good.

Thank you Giada.

Giada's Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch wide slices
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mint (I left this out)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian

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Thank you so much to all of you who shared your favorite Asian recipes with me on my last post. Wow!! I have printed most of them and they are on standby…as a matter of fact I’m trying one of the stir frys tonight! Everything sounds delicious!

If are looking for new Asian recipes to try, go check out the comments in the Mongolian Beef post…you will find several to choose from.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

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