Off The Counter

Off The Counter features my latest food obsession:  ranch dressing.  Not just any random dressing,  but the classic Hidden Valley one we all grew up with.  At some point the foodie mania that took over our generation got the best of me and I simply discounted it as a staple destined to be kept in the back of the refrigerator, out of sight and out of reach.

Lately, however, even my pickiest little eater has been dipping veggies in it and therefore  tasting foods he would have never otherwise sampled.  I realized that this old time favorite of mine has become a vehicle for trying new foods for my discerning young eaters.  If you and your family are not already dipping in it, move it towards the front of your fridge.  It is well deserving of  this new and  're-evaluated'  placement...

What's your new/old food obsession?

Off The Counter

Off the counter features my latest food obsession, pistachios.  Most often eaten by the handful, now they're added to our salads and roasted veggies.  They add color, texture and saltiness to old favs like arugula and cauliflower.  Take a look:

arugula, zucchini and pistachios

Salad ingredients: arugula, zucchini, parmesan cheese, lemon, olive oil & pistachios.

Using a potato peeler, cut the zucchini and parmesan into ribbons.  Toss with arugula and  pistachios.  For the dressing mix use fresh lemon juice and olive oil.  Both the parmesan and the pistachios contain salt,  but add a pinch of it if needed.

Roasted cauliflower is like eating candy for me lately.  There's something so satisfying about it.

Ingredients:  cauliflower, capers, lemon, olive oil & pistachios.

Break apart large cauliflower florets and boil them for 5 minutes.  Transfer them to a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt.  Roast at 375 until they're soft but not coming undone.  Make sure you broil them for a minute or two to brown the edges.  Transfer to a serving bowl and add capers, a squeeze of lemon, a bit more olive oil and the [quite possibly addictive] pistachios.

Enjoy!!

Off The Counter

Welcome to "Off the Counter",  the new foodie section of Cocoon's blog.  I've only done a couple of food related posts and each one of them has been very well received (thank you!).  I noticed that every photo taken for those posts was of the same spot on our kitchen counter.  The exact spot where I measure, chop, whisk and stir with my children in tow.  Cooking has become somewhat of a parenting survival method for me.  It's one of the few activities wherein all three of my kids participate at the same time.  Not an easy feat but one well worth the effort.  Kitchens are the heart and soul of a home, sharing the cooking experience with children gives them the opportunity to create, explore and relate to food on all levels.  With that said, take a look and read about our most recent salad creation:  beets, apples and blue cheese.  Mind you, the kids did not want to taste the salad but they all took a sip of the beet infused water (know when to pick your battles).

Salad ingredients: beets, apples, blue cheese and arugula

Dressing ingredients: Olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.

Boil beets until they soften, peel and then toss them with olive oil and salt.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  This allows them to dry out a bit.  Chop the beets and apples into large cubes, set them on a bed of arugula and top with blue cheese.  The dressing is prepared to taste (adding a bit of honey tends to off-set the pungency of the blue cheese).

Enjoy!

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