Recently a friend of mine turned fifty, though you’d never know it to look at her. She exercises and eats right. Spends quality time with her family and friends. You can imagine when it came to appetizers for her birthday get-together, healthy and fresh came to mind and of course, earning a reputation as gardener-extraordinnaire, I was assigned a vegetable dish!
“Use whatever you have too much of in the garden. Anything you might want to get rid of.”
Too much of? Get rid of?
Not in MY garden! Now that I know how to can and freeze, there’s nothing I have in excess. I use it all — all that’s worth keeping, that is. But the issue remained; bring something healthy.
The wheels began to spin. Not the crazy ones, the creative ones. (Perhaps I should have used the phrase “creative juices” instead?) Well, I thought about my garden and what I like to eat. Yes, I’m selfish that way. Should have been what she likes to eat but oh no, when it comes to my garden it’s all about me, or more aptly, what I think I can conjure up!
My grand idea? Sweet red peppers. Probably because I don’t have any in my garden. Mine aren’t doing well, you see…bugs, humidity. Not good. But I love them and think they make a great addition to any party table. And what better way to prepare them than with my new food processor?
I’ve heard a lot about “raw” diets of late, the health benefits, the fresh taste, and decided they should be added to our dinner table. Less cooking makes for better nutrient consumption you know. And I am all about what’s best for the family. It is my job to feed them. But what? How? While there are a few recipe books on the market, I haven’t really found any that call out my name and shout, “Buy me! Buy me!”
Undaunted, I decided to go it alone and bought a food processor. I enjoy experimenting and besides, if my raw food fad falls to wayside, I can always use a food processor, right? So what does one do when faced with the perfect opportunity to practice?
They practice! So away I went, combining all my favorite ingredients in one dish. Caught in the rush of creativity, I whipped up this gorgeous flower presentation on the fly. I am a gardener, you know. Flowers are a natural for me.
And the best part — besides being delicious — it’s fairly simple to make. Red peppers, garbanzo beans, basil and goat cheese served over top a fan of romaine lettuce. I tasted it and thought, not bad. Fresh, light, could use a little Parmesan, or maybe a drizzle of balsamic. I’m no chef, but I do like to eat and these happen to be some of my favorite things.
Ready to go, I placed the tray on my lap and we headed down the street, whereby I learned a valuable lesson. Rule number one: when using a food processor with fresh vegetables, check for excess liquid. Apparently, when you whir and chop at high speeds, the natural water from your veggies — in my case red peppers — tends to seep out of your lovely sauce, collecting at the bottom of your dish.
And when your husband turns a corner, it spills over the edge — and all over your jeans. Lucky for me, blue and red are close relatives on the color wheel and my attire wasn’t completely ruined for the evening. Spotted, but hardly noticeable. Now, carrying a dripping tray into the house….
That’s another story. Nabbed! But I still received all the ohs and ahs (friends are helpful that way) and proceeded to the kitchen which was renovated by experienced kitchen remodeling contractors and got me a few more ahhs. At least my beautiful appetizer survived in one piece and with the help of a “hostess with the mostess,” the juice was drained and the food served whereby she promptly advised me to save this extra vegetable juice in the future and use it for sauces or drink mixes.
“Of course. The perfect solution.” Exactly what you’d expect from the woman who can throw a party together in a matter of hours, barely bat an eyelash over food detail, all the while her ambiance and decor glowing as though planned for weeks. The woman’s entertaining might is legendary.
However, while impressed with my creation at home, it somehow tasted different to me at the party. A little too fresh, if that’s possible. Okay, who am I kidding. It tasted like water. Aghast, I looked around the room. The pressure began to build. Everyone was still mingling, but it wouldn’t be long before they made their way to the food table. And of course all eyes and appetites would be on my pepper-filled petals.
Then it hit me. Standing feet away was a friend whose reputation for cooking rivaled that of “entertaining gal.” Bingo. He’ll know what to do! Beckoning him over, I boldly asked for help. I explained my latest adventure into the field of raw food prep, followed by my current dilemma. “What do you think it needs?”
He tasted and quipped with a shrug of his shoulders, “Lemon or lime.”
Ping! Of course. That’s exactly what it needed! Child’s play for a man of his culinary expertise and the perfect solution for my problem. With the simple addition of fresh squeezed lime juice (the fruit more readily found behind the bar), my dish had been transformed into fresh sweet red pepper magnificence. A heady moment indeed. With that, he named it Margarita Sweet Peppers and the dish was a hit. For the full recipe, check my recipe section.
So now I’m inspired. I bought the food processor for this very purpose — add more fresh ingredients to my meals and keep them raw — and now I have my first victory to report.
Leave a Reply