Summer lentil soup... a garden fresh soup brightened with citrus

Simple. Summer. Soup.  I enjoy the slow rhythm of summer as the hectic pace of the Florida 'season' gives way to longer slower days, empty beaches, and plenty of parking spaces.  Our seaside town becomes a small community once again as the locals emerge to enjoy all the beauty and culture that our lovely town has to offer, without the crowds.  The Europeans that come to vacation here during July and August seem to understand our summer pace and they fit into our slower rhythm very nicely.  

One of my favorite summer pleasures is preparing a simple supper, music playing, while sipping on a glass of cool French rosé.  I love to slow down and be in the moment...  to just enjoy the feeling of my knife as it slides through the carrots and the smell of freshly cut herbs as I add them to my soup.  My heart fills with gratitude for the simple pleasures of this life. They are there. They are abundant... when I take the time to enjoy them.

Summer Lentil Soup 

1 1/2 cups French green lentils

4 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

2 tablespoons orange juice (fresh squeezed)

1/2 coarsely chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, parsley, basil, and thyme)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine lentils, carrots, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan.  Cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until carrots are tender. Stir in the citrus juices and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving.

For a printable recipe, click here.

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The meadow was the church and the Tetons were the steeple...

Over the 4th of July weekend my sister-in-law, Amanda, married her best friend, Trey, in what was the most picturesque wedding I have ever attended.  Their outdoor Jackson Hole, Wyoming wedding had a sweeping view of the Grand Tetons... breathtaking as was the bride.  The week was full with celebrations and as with all great celebrations, the food was stellar.  

We started off our week long festivities with a 4th of July parade in Jackson Hole.  Americana at its best.  A parade alive with cowboys and horses, they even threw corn husks to the kids.

And then we settled into a lazy afternoon barbecue of delicious brisket, ribs and chicken where people started to gather as they made their way into Jackson for the impending nuptials. 

 

The elegantly named  "Beer up the Butt Chicken" was so moist and flavorful.  This chicken received its name from the method of grilling... with a beer can shoved into its cavity.  The invasive beer can added much flavor and moisture and was well worth the intrusion to the bird.  (so says me)

 

Some of our group enjoyed a trip down the Snake River as we winded through the ever present scenic mountains teeming with wildlife. 

And of course my husband needs his snack of local cheese to heighten the experience.  

It rained on our official kick off party but it didn't dampen our merriment nor the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

The rehearsal dinner was a "Shin-dig" at a local barbecue joint called "Q".  The happy couple is just practicin' for the real thing.

And then the stunning wedding with the imposing Tetons witnessing their vows along with the rest of us...

My daughter was thrilled to be her Aunt Amanda's flower girl.  The bride was truly beautiful... she glowed from within that day.  Every detail was delightful...

Good bye Jackson Hole.. I'll miss your ever-present scenic mountains surrounding me from every angle and your amazing wildlife meandering throughout.  Now back to sea-level and moist air where the white clouds of Florida will have to stand in "ghost like" as my Tetons.  

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Mango salad... the essence of summer

Ahhh the sweet juicy flesh of a ripe mango... it is such a sensual fruit if ever there was one.  Are we certain that Eve didn't lure Adam with a mango instead of an apple?  I adore mango season and it is in full swing around here as my grand-daddy sized mango tree is in high production mode.  Our biggest predicament is finding new ways to enjoy these luscious gems dangling from our tree.  

I was watching and waiting on the above mango for days... waiting for it to become fully ripened on the tree.  It was hanging low and on the edge of our yard right next to the golf course so I knew it was in jeopardy of being plucked by a passing golfer, or if it fell to the ground the squirrels would nibble upon its juicy flesh before I could get to it.  It was a gamble, knowing just the right time to pick this perfect mango.  Well I apparently lost the game to a sticky fingered golfer (literally and figuratively).  One morning I noticed the mango was gone... oh well, I truly hope the golfer enjoyed that perfect mango as much as I did waiting for it.  So, on to watching and waiting for the next perfect mango, fortunately, there are a bountiful bunch to choose from.

Recently, my daughter has been interested in developing her knife skills and helping me to chop the vegetables needed for this salad.  At this point, it is much more work for me to help an eight year old chop them safely and properly than to just quickly bang out the job myself, but safe and effective knife skills are an essential life long skill for those who like to cook and I hope to pass on that capability to her.  Plus, it is great fun to have her in the kitchen with me!

Mango Salad

This goes nicely with a piece of grilled fish such as grouper or sea bass or any other white fleshed fish.

1 pound ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup minced red onion

1 lime, juiced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add remaining ingredients and gently toss until

coated.

Click here for a printable recipe.

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Chewy chocolate chip cookies with fleur de sel... shhh they are gluten-free and my kids never knew

For 30 days, my husband, Mike, and I are going gluten-free, not for reasons of celiac disease or even gluten intolerance.  After my husband had a friend, Dr. David Perlmutter, recommended the book  "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, MD, he wanted to give it a try and see if we would feel as good as they say after the 30 days. We love to try things for 30 days... you can do anything for 30 days and some of our best habits have started out this way.  

Currently we are coming upon week three and so far so great.  Mike has quickly dropped 6 pounds and we both feel overall more energetic.  Most of the foods we eat are naturally gluten free but I had to try my hand at some baked goods as a little treat.  I must admit, I was extremely sceptical of chocolate chip cookies made with brown rice flour, amaranth flour and tapioca starch in lieu of all purpose flour.  But these were fantastic... with a slightly nutty flavor and nicely chewy.  

Not until after my children had gobbled down a couple cookies each, did I reveal that they were gluten free.  It didn't faze them in the least.  Just today my daughter asked me today to make those "cookies without glue" again.  I couldn't imagine what she meant until she said, "you know, those "glue free" cookies."  So here you have it... no Elmers glue in these cookies!

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip cookies with Fleur de Sel 

(recipe from the mostly gluten- free and beautiful blog, Cannelle et Vanille)

makes 2 dozen cookies

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup natural cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, at room temperature

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for topping

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the butter, brown sugar, natural cane sugar, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a mixer using your paddle attachment on medium speed for two minutes.  Add the egg and mix until combined.

In a bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, amaranth flour, tapioca starch, fleur de sel and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix on medium speed until the dough comes together.  Add the chocolate chips and mix.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log that is about 2" in diameter and 12" long. Refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the log into 1/2 disks and place on a cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper.  Sprinkle the tops with a little bit of fleur de sel.  

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until they are slightly golden around the edges.  They should look a bit undercooked as they will harden as they cool but will remain chewy.

http://www.tartedujour.com/journal/2012/6/8/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-fleur-de-sel-shhh-they-are.html#comments a printable recipe, click here.

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Mike's roasted chicken stuffed with home grown meyer lemon and thyme

One of my husband's many talents is roasting the perfect chicken.  Over the years he has fine tuned his recipe and every time he roasts a chicken, he claims it is truly simple.  This is one of the basics in cooking that everyone should master before leaving home.  And if you have long since left home and still haven't mastered the roast chicken, today is your lucky day because now is your chance.  

Introducing our Charlie Brown Meyer Lemon tree.  We planted this slightly pathetic tree in honor of a recent anniversary that we celebrated.  Not that the past 19 years have been in any way pathetic, on the contrary, we know that this little tree will flourish like the vine on Jumanji after it gets one rainy season under its belt. We harvested the first ripe lemon from our tree to stuff into Mike's chicken.  Wave at him there on the bottom left branch in the above photo.

Ripe and ready to pluck, our very first Meyer lemon pictured with the thyme from our garden.  I think that if any part of a meal is grown at home, it makes the enjoyment of the food that much more intense.   

Not a very ladylike position for a chicken, but one must stuff the cavity with the aromatic thyme and lemons.

Legs crossed, all trussed up and ready for the oven.  In an hour and a half we will have a golden and juicy chicken for dinner.

Basic Roasted Chicken with Meyer Lemon and Thyme

1 fresh, preferable organic 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken

2 tablespoons butter

1 large bunch of thyme

1 lemon cut into slices

2 tablespoons butter

kosher salt and pepper 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

To make carving easier, remove the wishbone.  Lift up the flap of skin.  Insert a small knife into each end of the breast and slice diagonally along both sides of the wishbone.  Loosen the bone with your fingers and pry it out.  Remove any lumps of fat in the cavity. Cut off the wing tips at the joint.  

Gently slide your fingers under the skin of the breasts to loosen.  Slide 1 tablespoon of butter under the skin of each breast.  Stuff the chicken with the lemons and thyme.  Truss the chicken shut with cooking twine.  Drizzle the bird with olive olive and sprinkle salt and pepper and some leaves of thyme.  

Roast on a roasting pan in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Turn the oven down to 400 degrees and roast for another 50 minutes  or slightly more, depending on the size of the bird.  Check for doneness by piercing the breast of the chicken with the tines of a carving fork.  If the juices run perfectly clear yellow then it is done.  If their is a trace of pink, it is not done.  Place on a cutting board and let the bird rest for 15 minutes before carving.  

For a printable recipe, click here.

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