gazpacho

earlier this week, j and i enjoyed homemade gazpacho with my parents. while, i agree with my little brother that eating gazpacho is a little like digging into salsa with a spoon, i do think it's great my mom did some chopping and dropping in her kitchen. this inspired me to check out some gazpacho recipes online and after some taste testing, my favorite hails from the divine barefoot contessa. happy tasting!

courtesy of: ina garten
serves: 4 -6
20 min

- 1 hot house cucumber, halved and seeded (not peeled)
- 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 23oz tomato juice (3 cups)
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper

1. roughly chop the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and onion into 1" cubes. put each veggie separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. do not over process!

2. after each veggie is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. mix well and chill well before serving. the longer the vegetables sit, the richer the flavors.

roasted salmon with zucchini and nutty couscous

i adore salmon. it's pink. lately, there's been a serious shortage of fish at my house and i think this recipe may be the one that brings it back. not to mention there's couscous here; the food we loved so much, we named it twice! happy tasting!


courtesy of: tracey seaman
serves: 4

- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- salt & pepper
- 1 c couscous
- four 3/4" thick skin-on salmon fillets [about 6oz each]
- 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
- 1-1/2 lbs zucchini, thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 c toasted slivered almonds
- 4 lemon wedges

1. preheat the oven to 450. in a small saucepan, bring 1-1/2 c water, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil. stir in the couscous; cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 min.

2. meanwhile, drizzle olive oil into a rimmed baking sheet or dish; arrange the salmon skin side down in a single layer. drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with 1 tbsp parsley, and season with salt and pepper. roast for 8 minutes for med-rare.

3. in a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. add the zucchini in an even layer across the pan; season with pepper. cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 min. lower the heat to medium and sprinkle in half of the parmesan, then flip the zucchini and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.

4. fluff the couscous with a fork, then stir in the almonds and the remaining 3 tbsp of parsley. serve with the salmon, zucchini and lemon wedges.

image: everyday