Southern California Is Sizzling

Southern California meteorologists are giddy.

Lately they've been able to do something they usually only fantasize about: talk about actual weather. For most of the year, everyday is the same here: a sunny, 68 degree day in July looks and feels exactly the same as a sunny, 68 degree day in January.

For the last few days, however, its been more like New England style weather -- cold then hot then humid. Temperatures reached a fiery 112 degrees in parts of San Diego just a few days ago.

Used to saying, "It'll be another sunny day here in Southern California," meteorologists have been using words they haven't used since their days in school -- barometric pressure, cloudy skies, drizzle, and humidity.

That's why instead of my original idea to post a recipe for autumn-friendly belly-warming boozy chili or comforting mac 'n cheese, I'm posting on a cool Spicy Avocado and Orange Smoothie. Made with creamy avocado, frozen banana, and nutty almond milk, this smoothie is packed with health-boosting potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, lean protein, and complex carbs. But I'd better drink them quick; it'll be sunny and 68 again in no time.

Spicy Avocado and Orange Smoothie
Makes 1 serving
Print recipe only here.

1/2 medium ripe avocado, squirted with lime juice
1/2 small frozen banana
2/3 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1/2 cup almond milk (or milk product of your choice)
1 teaspoon honey
A pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add more orange juice of milk if you like it thinner.

Variations: Feel free to play around with ingredients. Instead of banana, try mango, fresh pineapple, ripe pear, or frozen raspberries. Like it sweeter? Skip the cayenne and add a little extra honey, or use agave nectar. Don't like orange juice? Replace it with apple or pomegranate juice or milk of your choice such as skim, soy, rice, or nut milk.

You might also like these recipes featuring avocados from Food Blogga:
Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole
Watercress, Avocado, and Orange Salad
Breakfast Egg Sandwich with Avocado and Chipotle-Mayo

You might also like these sweet avocado recipes:
Avocado Cake recipe from Accidental Hedonist
Banana Avocado Bread recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Avocado Coconut Milk Ice Cream from Peter via The Perfect Pantry

Call Me Fig Blogga

I wasn't gonna do it. I wasn't gonna post another fresh fig recipe. But then I received this email the other day:

Hi Food Blogga,

You're so lucky to have all those fresh figs in San Diego. I made your fig and rosemary cake last year and it was a HUGE hit! Do you have a recipe for fig muffins? I'm having my parents for brunch this weekend and want to make something easy with figs. Thanks so much!

-Emily

I didn't have a recipe for fig muffins. But how do say "no" to a reader who loves your recipes and wants to make muffins for her parents? You don't. You create a recipe.

So, here it is: Fresh Fig, Orange, and Pecan Muffins. I don't know what's better about making these muffins, the sweet, citrus smell that floats through the house while they're baking or the soothing warmth of a buttery soft, fig in your mouth. You decide.

Just call me Fig Blogga.



Fresh Fig, Orange, and Pecan Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Printable recipe.

These muffins are made with white whole wheat flour which makes them light in color yet equally nutritious as those made with tan colored whole wheat flour.

2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh ripe but firm figs, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (2 tablespoons reserved for tops of muffins)

1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12 mold regular size muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, egg, buttermilk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir quickly until well combined. Fold in the figs and pecans. Spoon the batter evenly into the 12 molds. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons of pecans.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing.

You might also enjoy these fig recipes from Food Blogga: 
Savory Fig Recipes:
Fresh Fig and Fennel Pizza
Fresh Fig, Arugula, and Mascarpone Bruschetta
Heirloom Tomato, Fresh Fig, and Burrata Salad

Sweet Fig Recipes:
Fig Cake For Fall
Dessert Risotto with Wine-Poached Figs
Fresh Fig, Ricotta, and Honey Breakfast Crostini
Greek Yogurt, Fresh Fig, and Black Currant Parfaits

Fresh Fig, Walnut, and Rosemary Upside-Down Cake

Wait, here are more fig recipes!
Fig Galette recipe from Simply Recipes
Fig and Almond Tart recipe from Zen Can Cook
Gluten-Free, Vegan Fig Newtons recipe from Elana's Pantry
Fresh Fig and Rum Upside-Down Cake from Veggie Belly

Hatch Chile Withdrawal

Where's the roasted hatch chile guy? He was at our local farmers' market in August. Now he's gone, and I'm angry. That's because last time we saw him, Jeff turned to me and asked, "Do you want a 5-pound bag or a 20-pound bag?"

"20 pounds?! What am I gonna do with 20 pounds of roasted hatch chiles?" I said, incredulous.

We bought the 5-pound bag. Now I'm hatch chile-less.

I had no idea I'd become so attached. I can't stop thinking about them. I can still see that circular roaster tumbling warm hatch chiles like clothes in a dryer. I can still smell their woodsy, spicy fragrance that reminds me of crisp autumn nights in front of a fire. I can still taste their smoky, mouth-filling flavor and salivate at the memory every time.

I'm in hatch chile withdrawal.



If you've had hatch chiles, then you understand. If you haven't had hatch chiles, then find some. Quickly. Then add them to salsas and relishes, put them on hamburgers or hotdogs with Jack cheese, and fold them into scrambled eggs. When you run out, call me. We'll commiserate.

I haven't told Jeff this, but if the hatch chile guy doesn't show up at our farmers' market soon, I'll be catching a flight to New Mexico -- hatch chile heaven. Unfortunately I've missed their annual Hatch Chile Festival, but I know that you can't walk more than a couple of blocks in New Mexico without stumbling upon a man with a roaster and 20 pound bags of roasted hatch chiles.

Grilled Sirloin Steak with Hatch Chile, Corn, and Scallion Relish
Makes 4 servings
Printable recipe.

Steak:
4 (6-ounce) pieces of steak, such as top sirloin, rib eye, or T-Bone
1-2 teaspoons olive oil for rubbing steak
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Relish:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed from cob
1/2 cup roasted hatch chiles, stems removed, chopped (about 2 whole chiles)
a few shakes of salt, to season

1. Pre-heat grill to high. Allow steak to come to room temperature. Rub it all over with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Warm 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and corn kernels and saute 2 minutes, until just browned. Add chopped chiles and warm through, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.

3. Place steaks on the grill. Grill 5-6 minutes. Flip once using tongs (forks can puncture the meat, releasing tasty juices). Cook another 5-6 minutes for medium. Cook less time for rare and longer for well-done. Do the finger test for doneness: Press steak with your fingertip. Rare should feel soft and spongy; medium should feel moderately soft; well-done should feel firm. Transfer steaks to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest 5 minutes to seal in juices. Top each steak with a quarter of the relish, and dig in!

You might also enjoy these recipes from Food Blogga:
The Southwest Hamburger
Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Turkey Burgers with Apples, Gruyere, and Sage Mayo
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Chili with Crispy Spiced Tortillas

Here are more hatch chiles recipes you might enjoy:

Fresh Chile Sauce recipe from Fat Free Vegan

Green Chile Sauce recipe from Gluten-Free Goddess
Hatch Chile Potato Salad recipe from San Diego Food Stuff
Turkey Green Chile Chili recipe from The Perfect Pantry

Confetti Green Chile Corn Muffins recipe from Laura's Best Recipes

Blue Cornmeal-Crusted Green Chiles recipe from Use Real Butter

Roasted New Potato Salad with Green Chiles recipe from Use Real Butter

What Are Fresh Black Currants? Not Dried Currants and Not Raisins.

Fresh black currants from Pudwill Berry Farms in Nipomo, CA.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "currant"? Raisins? Scones? The Brits? It's a confusing matter. So after purchasing a basket of fresh black currants at the Little Italy Mercato a couple of weeks ago, I did some sleuthing on the internet. Here's what I have learned about the differences between fresh black currants, dried black currants, and raisins.

Fresh black currants are small, round, glossy, black berries that pack a tart punch. They are related to red currants, white currants, and gooseberries; they are NOT grapes.

Dried black currants, also called Zante currants, are dried Corinth grapes, so technically they are raisins. With their black, wrinkly skins and sweet flavor, they look, smell, and taste just like traditional raisins.

Raisins are dried grapes, usually green Thompson grapes whose color darkens when dried. Similar to dried currants, raisins are shriveled, chewy, sweet, and fragrant.


Fresh black currants and boysenberries from Pudwill Berry Farms in Nipomo, CA.


Where can you buy fresh black currants? In cool, rainy places such as the UK. In the US, the Pacific Northwest and northern California grow fresh currants which can be found at farmers' markets and organic markets. They're also sometimes found in the freezer section of organic and specialty markets.

How do you cook with fresh black currants? Fresh black currants are most often used  to make jams and jellies, ice cream and sorbet, schnapps, and pies. They're also delicious in baked goods such as scones, muffins, and cakes. Fresh black currants have a savory side too: they make a tangy sauce for meats such as chicken, pork, and lamb and can be tossed into salads. If you have a recipe calling for fresh black currants and can't find them, then blackberries and gooseberries make good substitutes.

What are the health benefits of fresh black currants? Fresh black currants are high in vitamin C and potassium. They're also are rich, little nuggets of antioxidants (2X the antioxidants of blueberries!) which help reduce inflammation and may help lower your risk of cancer.

Now it's time to get cooking with fresh black currants, so check out the tempting list of recipes below.


Greek Yogurt, Fresh Fig, and Black Currant Parfaits from Food Blogga

Read more about fresh black currants:
"A Tart Berry Reintroduces Itself" from the NYT
Fresh Black Currants information page from Specialty Produce in San Diego 

Black currant Savory recipes:
Black Currant Chicken recipe from Anne's Food
Lamb Chops with Black Currant BBQ Sauce recipe from Suzi's Blog

Black currant sweet recipes:
Black Currant Sorbet recipe from NYT
Blackcurrant Pie recipe from Bron Marshall
Black Currant Scones recipe from Local Kitchen
Red and Black Currant Parfaits recipe from Country Living
Black Currant Schnapps recipe from Danish Schnapps Recipes
Blackcurrant Swirl Cheesecake recipe from Good Food Channel
Black Currant and Orange Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe from Epicurean
Apricot Almond Tart with Black Currants and Lavender Syrup from Vegalicious Recipes

TFIG: Kara Newman's Spice & Ice Cookbook Review

Spiced Iced Tea

Sorry, Cosmo girls. Sweet cocktails are out. Spicy cocktails are in. It’s time to update your cocktail wardrobe.

Adding sliced chilies is perhaps the simplest and surest way to spice up a cocktail, but don’t stop there. Spicy cocktails have a wide flavor spectrum: Think sprigs of heady rosemary, a drizzle of sweet maple syrup, or a dab of nose-tickling wasabi.

According to Kara Newman, author of Spice & Ice: 60 Tongue-Tingling Cocktails (Chronicle Books), spicy cocktails come in a range of flavors. The most important thing to remember when mixing savory cocktails is balance. Why does the quintessential spicy drink, The Bloody Mary, remain a perennial favorite? Because of its balanced interplay between sweet tomato juice, pungent horseradish, and savory celery salt. 

Newman clearly explains the "elements of spice" which run the gamut from fruity and floral to spicy and savory. She gives readers "spicy do's and don'ts," such as "do start with less heat," and "don't use shriveled, old peppers; fresh is best." She even tells you what to do if your mouth feels like it's on fire: drink milk, or eat cheese, bread, or a teaspoon of sugar. 

Newman explains how to make infused liquors, such as jalapeno-infused tequila and simple syrups, such as chipotle-orange syrup. She even tells you how to garnish drinks and rim a glass with panache.


Summertime Sunburned Berry Cocktail from Spice & Ice.

The recipes in Spice & Ice are divided by season and often include fresh, seasonal ingredients such as blood oranges, blueberries, and tomatoes. The recipes are a collection of Newman's own as well as those of chefs and mixologists across the country.

So if you're looking for something sexier in your cocktail wardrobe, then get yourself a copy of Kara Newman's Spice & Ice. It's like wearing a pair of red peep toe heels; you can't help but feel hot in those!

Spiced Iced Tea
Makes 1
Printable recipe.

1 tea bag (preferably orange or black tea)
4 ounced vodka
1 Thai chile or serrano pepper, sliced
2 ounces triple sec
1 whole pepper, for garnish

1. Immerse the tea bag in hot water for 10 seconds. Then remove it and immerse it in the vodka. Allow to steep for 5 minutes. During the last minute, add the sliced chile pepper. Remove the tea bag before proceeding.

2. In a shaker filled with ice, shake the infused vodka and the triple sec. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the whole pepper.

You might also like these cocktail recipes:
Blood Orange Vodkatini
Homemade Creamy Limoncello from my NPR article, "Have Your Limoncello, and Eat It Too"

Brain Food: The Thinkfood Cookbook Is Here

NPR recently caused a brouhaha -- ooh, I love that word -- when they posted the article, "Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter."

According to anthropologists, about 2.3 million years ago, humans began "dining with dogs," or at least scavenging the same carcasses. Because meat has more calories and fat, our brains, which are high energy users, responded well to it. While our brains enlarged, our guts shrank, allowing us to spend more time on higher brain activities like making better tools.

This doesn't mean that vegetarians are dumber. It does, however, mean that they may have less energy than meat-eaters. Fortunately, there are many brain-healthy foods for all types of eaters ranging from carnivores to vegans. Some of the best brain-healthy foods include omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods such as salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed; antioxidant-packed foods such as berries and crucifers; and whole grains such as barley and oats.

So if you're looking to eat your way to a smarter you, then consider getting yourself a copy of the newly released cookbook, Thinkfood: Recipes for Brain Fitness. Posit Science (a leader in brain training software) joined forces with 50 bloggers, including me, to create this cookbook, featuring 50 unique, delicious, brain-healthy recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts. You can also sign up for their free email Recipe of the Week campaign; each Wednesday you'll receive a brain-healthy recipe, meet the blogger who created it, and get tips about brain-fitness foods.

Brain-healthy recipe: Quick Italian Tuna and Olive Pasta; photo by Posit Science

My family has been eating Quick Italian Tuna and Olive Pasta for as long as I can remember, not because tuna is high in brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids, which it is, but because it's simple, delicious, and Italian. Tuna is also rich in both B-vitamins which help improve your energy and memory and tryptophan which helps you sleep.

Since my parents will be reading this post, I have a feeling my mom will be making Quick Italian Tuna and Olive Pasta a lot more often. Mensa better get ready for the Russo's.

Here are other brain-healthy recipes from Food Blogga you might enjoy:  

Spiced Coffee 

Bagel and Lox with Chive-Dill Cream Cheese

Blueberry, Oatmeal, and Honey Breakfast Smoothie

Easy Homemade Crunchy Maple Walnut Granola

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pears
Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Orange and Ginger Glazed Planked Salmon
Shrimp, Pineapple, and 7 Whole Grain Pilaf Salad
Sicilian Sardine and Broccoli Rabe Pasta

Would You Like to be a Recipe Tester for My Sandwich Cookbook?

Mexican Torta, one big, belly-busting sandwich.

It's time to make the sandwiches!

You know I have been working on my upcoming cookbook, The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: Recipes, History, and Trivia for Everything Between Sliced Bread (Quirk Books). Now it's time to test the recipes. Would you like to help? If so, read on!

Monte Cristo, the American version of the Croque-Monsieur.

Here's how the recipe testing process will work:

1. Email me at Foodblogga AT yahoo DOT COM today or tomorrow. Please put RECIPE TESTING in the subject line so I can flag it. Send me your full name, home mailing address, and phone number.

2. I will send you a list of sandwiches and will assign them on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you'd like to test more than one recipe, please let me know.

3. Things will move quickly! You'll receive the recipes in a couple of days, have about a week to test them, and send me your feedback via email no later than Thursday, Sept. 30th. The recipes are straight-forward and easy, though some like pulled pork require several steps or longer cooking times.

4. What will you get out of it? A great sandwich, your name mentioned in the cookbook, and my eternal gratitude.


Italian Chicken Cutlet Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone. Mangia!


Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Indy's pride and joy.