Guacamole!

One of the great things about being single is that if I feel like having guacamole for dinner, I can! And that's exactly what I did the other night. Yes, avocados are high in fat, but it's good fat! I love to pair it with Garden of Eatin Blue Corn Chips. Here's the "recipe", although there's really not much to it.... If you're making this for more people, just increase the quanitites.

1 Ripe Avocado (ripe when just soft to the touch, not hard as a rock, not mushy)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 jalepeno, finely chopped (depends on how much heat is in the pepper - they all vary a bit, so taste it to see)
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tsp. "Art of Chipotle" paste (some Whole Foods stores carry this, but if you can't find it, you can substitute 1 chipotle, seeded and chopped, plus a bit of the adobo that it is packed in)

• Cut avocado in half, and twist halves in opposite directions to open. Set side with pit cut side up on a cutting board and remove pit by tapping a sharp knife into it, then twisting the knife. Scoop out avocado flesh into a bowl. Smash with a fork, add all other ingredients, and stir to combine. Serve with chips.

Grilled Chicken with Ratatouille

I've been trying to eat healthier for several reasons. The obvious: to be healthy in general. The second reason: Mexico in 5 weeks! I've been saying for a while now that I want to get rid of that mysterious layer of flab that appeared shortly after my 43rd birthday...now I really, really need to do it. It's just grossing me out! So in addition to the regular exercise that I started a few months ago, I'm really trying to eat less cheese, cream, and fat in general. With this in mind, I've been grilling more. The weather has been great for it, and I've figured out that it's pretty easy to throw something on the grill when I get home from work. I don't have too much of a recipe for the chicken, but it is basically this (I used a combination of spices that I happened to have, but any spices you like, that you feel go together would work equally well):

Grilled Spice Rubbed Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I prefer the air-chilled organic from Whole Paycheck)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric (helps give that nice golden color)
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
dash of cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for grill

• Mix together all spices and olive oil on a plate
• Pat chicken dry, then coat with spice mixture
• Set aside while you prepare the ratatouille, or other side dish
• When ready to grill, preheat grill for about 10 minutes on high.
• Place chicken, presentation side down, at a 45 degree angle to the grates on the grill. Close grill lid. After about 3 minutes, rotate chicken to get grill marks (optional). Flip over and repeat for about 2 minutes per grill mark.
• Turn heat down and continue to cook till temperature at thickest part of chicken reaches about 160.
• Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve!

Julia Child's Ratatouille

(note: this is Julia Child's recipe, which I always stray from a bit. I will add my comments as I go along)

1/2 pound eggplant *I used one eggplant*
1/2 pound zucchini *I used 3 small*
A 3-quart, porcelain or stainless-steel mixing bowl *I use a colander for this*
1 teaspoon salt
A 10- to 12-inch enameled skillet *I use my ScanPan Chef's pan for the entire preparation*
4 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions *I used one large onion*
2 (about 1 cup) sliced green bell peppers *I used red, since that's what I had*
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, if necessary
2 cloves mashed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound firm, ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (makes 1 1/2 cups pulp) *I used 1 can of San Marzano tomatoes*
Salt and pepper
A 2 1/2 quart fireproof casserole about 2 1/2 inches deep *see above*
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper

• Peel the eggplant and cut into lengthwise slices 3/8 inch thick, about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Scrub the zucchini, slice off the two ends and cut the zucchini into slices about the same size as the eggplant slices. Place the vegetables in a bowl and toss with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain. Dry each slice in a towel.
• One layer at a time, sauté the eggplant and then the zucchini in hot olive oil in the skillet for about a minute on each side to brown very lightly. Remove to a side dish.
• In the same skillet, cook the onions and peppers slowly in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season to taste.
• Slice the tomato pulp into 3/8-inch strips. Lay them over the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes have begun to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost entirely evaporated.
• Place a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle over it 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Arrange half of the eggplant and zucchini on top, then half the remaining tomatoes and parsley. Put in the rest of the eggplant and zucchini and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley. *My variation: I add the eggplant and zucchini on top of the onions and peppers and continue cooking in the same pan - no layering*
• Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip casserole and baste with the rendered juices. Correct seasoning, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more *Here I mix all together, and mix occassionally instead of basting*, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavored olive oil. Be careful of your heat; do not let the vegetables scorch in the bottom of the casserole. Set aside uncovered.
• Reheat slowly at serving time or serve cold.

I just realized that I haven't posted anything in a really, really long time. However, I am newly inspired due to several things. First of all, the upcoming release of the film Julie and Julia. I'm even tempted to start working my way through Jacques Pepin's Cooking Techniques, the same way Julie worked through "Mastering". Of course, there is the problem of time... no way I could do it in a year, and the problem of being single. I have no spouse to cook for like she did. And while I really don't mind cooking for just myself, that would just be too much food for me! I'll have to start drumming up regular dinner guests.

The second thing that has re-energized me is that I have been taking some cooking classes. As you can see by the photo, I have done a weeklong "cooking camp" (kind of the opposite of my boot camps) at Tante Marie here in SF. I have also signed up for a new series of 6 night classes called "cook like a chef". It's been so much fun, and since I can't enroll in culinary school (not right now anyway), this will do for now.

Finally, I really need to concentrate more on what makes me happy and what I have...food, good friends, a great house; and less on the things that I don't have...money, a significant other, a job that I enjoy...

So, I have a new determination to stay updated with this blog, to promote it more, and to give more attention to my cooking class on Meetup.com. I'm planning to grill some chicken tonight, and maybe make a Ratatouille... Stay tuned!