Artichoke and Leek Crostini: 38 Power Foods - #1 Artichoke

I've reach a bit of a milestone today . . . my 100th post!  I'm proud of myself for sticking to this little project and putting myself out there after years of thinking "I can do this".  Now I'm thinking why did I wait so long?  This blog gives me an opportunity to be creative and to take time for myself.  Not only that, I've met a lot of great new bloggy friends.  In that vein, let me introduce the next series that I'm participating in: 38 Power Foods!

Started by Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits, it is based on the book Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of Whole Living Magazine.  The first week's ingredient is artichoke.  The artichoke is high in antioxidants and fiber, helps to lower cholesterol, and aids in liver and gall bladder health.  There is a bit of a controversy in the scientific community if artichokes actually help hangovers (seriously, check out google scholar!) but I say they are so delicious that you should splurge on spinach and artichoke dip the next time you're dragging at brunch!

I made a quick crostini featuring the artichoke and caramelized leeks.  I always have a box of frozen artichoke hearts in my freezer; I just thawed a box, chopped them into bite sized pieces, and squeezed out any water before adding caramelized leeks.  There is a kick from crushed red pepper flakes, savory minced garlic, and a touch of sweetness from the leeks and a squirt of honey.  But the most important component to any artichoke dish?  A good squeeze of lemon juice.  There is something so harmonious about the combo of artichokes and lemon.  Paired with crisp crostini and a buttery cheddar cheese, these crostini are decadent AND healthful!

And here are the fellow bloggers investigating these 38 power foods:

Alyce - More Time at the Table,  Ansh - Spice Roots,

Jeanette - Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Jill - Saucy Cooks

Martha - Simple-Nourished-Living, Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits,

Sarah - Everything in the Kitchen Sink, Casey - Bookcase Foodie

Roasted Balsamic Strawberries

Remember when I first told you how awesome strawberry and balsamic is together?  The strawberry cupcakes drizzled with a thick tangy-sweet balsamic glaze.  Let's just say I'm slightly obsessed with this flavor pairing.  This weekend, during the grand re-opening sale at my local grocery store they were selling 2 pounds of strawberries for 3 bucks a pop so I grabbed one too many.  Gorgeously plump and bright red, I couldn't let them go to waste due to my inability to say no to cheap fruit.

Recently, I had seen a few recipes for roasted strawberries here and there on the internets and thought I can do that!  So I hulled up my strawberries, preheated the oven, and got to roasting!  Just a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (good stuff, please) and olive oil, a drizzle of agave nectar, and a pinch of salt gives the most incredible depth to the roasted strawberries.

I took the finished product and used it in a quick crostini topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted berries, and a chiffonade of basil.  It was bright and simple and to die for!  But that's not all, tomorrow I will be showing you the most incredible buttermilk cake complete with the roasted strawberries!

Cucumber and Tomato Bruschetta

In December, one of my good friends had a super fancy party for her 25th birthday.  She and her boyfriend constructed a whole bunch of appetizers that everyone went crazy over, myself include.  I have no shame, I was parked right next to the app table.  Her party and leftover baguette from my french onion soup inspired my foray into bruschetta.  I just used what I had in my fridge (some tomatoes, cucumber, lemon, capers, etc) to come up with my quick week night answer to bruschetta.

Bruschetta is an antipasti that consists of garlic rubbed crostini topped with anything from tomatoes, veggies, meats, olives, etc.  When most people think of bruschetta (self included), they think the tomato salad.  So, I attempted to make something that was bright and a little briny.  I skipped the garlic rubbing step because I added grated raw garlic to the salad.  I smeared on a mixture of goat cheese and ricotta cheese before adding my salad.  It was a fun way to use up extra bread and vegetables!

French Onion Soup

My favorite food, hands down, is caramelized onions.  I don’t care what it’s on, I will eat it.  So it’s no surprise that one of my favorite soups is french onion.  Tons of onions carmalized until they turn a deep brown color, half a bottle of wine, and gooey melted cheese on top?  Done and done.

This is a lazy weekend project; after adding the wine and stock it sits simmering for a few hours to intensify the flavors.  I like to use a mix of sweet yellow onions, red onions, and shallots with a slightly spicy Shiraz (3 buck chuck brand works fabulously).  Sprigs of thyme leaves are tossed in with the onions, balsamic vinegar is used to sweeten the base, and Dijon mustard adds a hmmm what’s that flavor to the dish.  While beef stock is used traditionally, I only ever have chicken stock on hand in my pantry so this is how I’ve been making it for years and I love it anyway!

After the soup has simmered away, it’s topped with toasted baguette slices and shredded gruyere cheese, melted under the broiler.  This is the epitome of comfort food for me: complex reduced flavors topped with carbs and cheese.  What’s not to like?