CM # 63 The Food You Crave

First things first, there is no place like home. 

I don’t usually miss not having TV anymore, but I do miss Food Network. Bobby, Tyler, Ina and Jamie were all like family to me. Though I hear a rumor that if I bothered to figure out how TV works without cable, I could catch Jamie’s fabulous show “Food Revolution” on network TV. Kind of sounds like a lot of work though.

One of the less recognized geniuses of Food Network is Ellie Krieger. Her recipes are usually inventive and tasty. Registered dieticians are pretty impressive in general.

Ellie’s cookbook is full of those sticky flags I seem to love throwing around. Marked for the future are recipes for Hummus and Grilled Vegetable Wraps, Chickpea and Spinach Salad, Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce, Mushroom Barley Risotto and Poached Salmon with Lemon-Mint Tzatziki.

I am however always an advocate of “Simple but Good.” Grab the best produce and let the flavors speak for themselves. I found some beautiful vine tomatoes at the store--I could sit and smell them for hours. Yes, they smell like a garden vine, but that’s what’s so perfect about them. Tomato sandwiches made with toasted bread, sea salt, pepper and olive oil is quite possibly the most perfect sandwich in the world

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Ellie had a recipe for tomatoes topped with a bit of Green Goddess dressing so I gave it a shot.. It’s creamy from the avocado, but the tomato is still the star. Pure genius.

All recipes however are not perfect. Or rather, all not cooks are not perfect. I made an attempt at her Energy Bar recipe. I mean it starts out on the right track….

It even looks pretty good going into the pan…

And it even looks not so bad out of the pan. But looks can be deceiving. Amidst the nuts and fruit peeking out hides a layer of industrial grade cardboard. I kind of feel bad because I love Ellie and am sure she can do no wrong. I just can’t figure out what I missed in mine. Just a lesson learned that cooking and trying new recipes will always be an an experiment and an adventure.

Green Goddess Dressing

Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

½ ripe avocado, flesh scooped out
½ cup lowfat buttermilk

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp fresh tarragon

1 green onion, sliced

3/4 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth and serve over salad. Dressing will keep 2-3 days in refrigerator