Last weekend, my husband and I traveled to Dahlonega, Georgia for his first cyclocross race, the Southern Cross hosted at the Montaluce Winery. Three other couples joined us for the fun. This meant two things - 1) the racers would be exhausted at the end of the day and 2) it would be THE WEEKEND OF GLUTTONY.

The weekend consisted of breakfasts at country diners, a batch of NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a post-race “dinner” of pizzas, chips and salsa, cookies & cream ice cream, and let’s not forget the smores around the campfire. It was hands down the best bike race I’ve ever attended. In large part due to the exceptional company, but also the exquisite grounds of the Montaluce Winery. The non-racers and I were only too happy to partake in the wine tastings offered at Montaluce. I enjoyed the red flight with the 2008 Montaluce Merlot emerging as my favorite and just when I thought I was a Cabernet Sauvignon girl.

Oh, and did I mention the trip to Jim ‘N Nicks on the way home? Gluttons, indeed! Needless to say, we felt like a couple of stuffed pigs by Sunday night. In need of some major detox and rehydration, we snacked on fruits and veggies yesterday, but I was at a loss for dinner ideas. Then, I found this recipe for Tofu au Vin for Two.

photo by Ken Burris

This was just what we needed last night – healthy and satisfying. This dish had such a rich flavor, I didn’t feel the least bit deprived as I often do with tofu. I can assure you it will be making regular appearances at our dinner table. Here’s to getting back on track – cheers!

Here’s a flavorful vegetarian-friendly chili by Chef Ian Russo, courtesy of my friends over at Meatless Monday. Click here for the recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 90 minutes Serves: 4*

• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 2 medium red bell peppers, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup garlic, chopped
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 cups cold water
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans
• 1 15-ounce can navy beans
• 1 15-ounce can black beans
• 7 ounces Goya Recaito (a pre-cooked Spanish spice)

Directions:
Saute onion and peppers in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, chili powder, paprika and crushed red pepper and cook for another minute.

Add sautèed ingredients to a large stockpot. Add cold water and beans. Simmer slowly for 1 1/2hours, then add the recaito. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your personal taste.

Note: for thicker chili, cook an extra 10-20 minutes, or puree 4 ounces of chili in a blender or food processor, and add back to the chili.

Ian’s Quick Tip – To make spicier chili, add Tabasco sauce: Add 1 tsp to make chili spicy Add 2 tsp to make chili extra spicy Add 3 tsp to make chili red hot spicy.

*The Eclectic Connoisseur’s Notes:
1.  I followed the recipe to the letter, and found it to yield significantly more than 4 servings.
2.  At first taste, this chili didn’t have enough heat for my husband and I. However, the next day…YOWZA! So, before you go crazy adding Tabasco, give it a day to let the flavors come alive.

Have a great week!

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was as delightfully delicious as mine!

Looking for a light dinner? This week’s Meatless Monday is all about flavor with (almost) zero effort thanks to this Spaghetti al Limone. I stumbled across this recipe from O magazine on delish.com.

• 1 pound(s) spaghetti
• 1 1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoon(s) grated lemon zest
• 2 cup(s) slivered firmly packed basil leaves

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente. Place a colander over a large serving bowl, then drain spaghetti into it (hot water will warm bowl). Pour water from bowl, wipe bowl dry, then empty spaghetti into it.
2. Meanwhile, combine cheese and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Gradually beat in olive oil until mixture becomes thick and creamy and cheese “melts” into oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon zest.
3. Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti in serving bowl; toss thoroughly. Add basil, toss again, and serve.

From The Oprah Magazine Cookbook ©2008 Hearst Communications, Inc.

Easier than pie…and no guilt! You have to love that. Enjoy your Cyber Monday, everyone!

So, what do you do when a friend brings you a couple pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp? Of course frying them was the first thing that came to mind, but then I remembered a recipe from this month’s issue of Cooking Light - Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto.

This is one of those easy-peasy  recipes that is full of flavor. Be sure to visit Cooking Light for the recipe by clicking here. I’ll be back later in the week with more tasty treats to share. Have a great Sunday, everyone!

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

We’re not talking about some namby pampy peanut butter. No, we’re talking gourmet walnut butter here. This was a no fuss, no muss kind of challenge and perfect for summer since it required neither stove nor oven. Plus, it gave me an excuse to indulge in my favorite pita chips.

Walnut White Bean Dip with Rosemary & Sage
Recipe notes: Canned beans tend to be salty, so you may not need additional salt. Taste the dip after blending and add salt as needed.

Ingredients:
½ cup (120 ml) walnuts*
1 (15.8 oz/448g) can Great Northern, Cannellini, or other white beans, drained and rinsed 1 garlic clove, chopped 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh sage, chopped
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) lemon zest (optional) ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) black pepper salt to taste

Directions:

• Make walnut butter by grinding ½ cup (120 ml) walnuts in food processor for about a minute until it forms a nut butter or paste. (*Alternately, start with ¼ cup (60 ml) prepared walnut butter.) Add beans, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, sage, lemon zest (if using), and black pepper to the walnut butter in the food processor. Process the mixture to a smooth consistency. Taste and add salt as desired. Garnish dip with chopped walnuts and/or chopped fresh rosemary or sage, if desired. Serve dip with pita wedges, crostini, or assorted vegetables.

For a downloadable pdf of the recipes, click here and while you’re at it, visit the Daring Cooks’ blogroll for more fun with homemade nut butter.

For the week of July 12th, Kelly of Our Crazy Blessed Life chose Dorie‘s Brrrr-ownies. These refreshing brownies are the perfect way to cool down from the summer heat. How can a brownie be refreshing, you ask? They’re chock-full of York peppermint patties, that’s how. “When I bite into a York peppermint patty, I get the sensation of being on top of a cold mountain, and all I want to do is yodel! YO-DE-LAY-HEE-HOO!”

The key to these brownies is to cut the peppermint patties, leaving them in large chunks. Too small and you’ll have a gooey pepperminty paste instead of a nice pepperminty bite. Visit Kelly for the recipe [click here] and be sure to catch up with the rest of the TWD gang.

Now, on to the Chewy, Chunky Blondies selected by Nicole of Cookies on Friday for last week’s TWD recipe. I want to give Nicole a big hug for choosing blondies. And these are even more fabulous than your typical blondie – walnuts, chocolate (I used bittersweet), sweetened coconut, and toffee!! What’s not to love, right?

When your dessert glistens, you know it's going to taste incredible!

You’ll want this recipe and lucky for you it’s posted here on Nicole’s blog. To see the rest of the TWD bakers’ blondies visit the Leave Your Link page here.

I’m sitting out for this week’s TWD recipe. I have way too many goodies in the house right now, but I’ll be back next week with Dorie’s Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream. Forget bathing suit season!

I asked my darling husband to select the recipe for Meatless Monday. He made a beeline to one of his favorite cookbooks, Chris Carmichael’s Eat Right to Train Right. After considering a few recipes, he chose the Leafy Spinach Lasagna. And an excellent choice it was!

The recipe calls for fat-free cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella, but I opted for regular. I mean, shouldn’t we get some reward for going meatless? Next time, I’ll add some mushrooms and perhaps try it with goat cheese. Mmm…

Join me tomorrow as I attempt to catch up on my Tuesdays With Dorie posts. I’ll have something for everyone – chocolate, mint, coconut, walnuts, toffee. Not all together mind you. Until then…

What makes Meatless Monday seem not so, well, meatless? Pizza, of course!

I used the same pizza dough and sauce recipe I made last time, a generous helping of Henrietta’s goat cheese, and lots of veggies.

I used a combination of yellow squash, zucchini, red and orange bell pepper, garlic, and 1/2 a poblano pepper. A light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and a little sea salt is all these babies needed. Well, that and a little heat. A quick roast in the oven is all they need, just enough to remove some moisture. After all, no one wants a runny pizza.

Once your veggies are roasted, press out your dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Next, spread sauce on the crust, dollop with goat cheese (I do this quite liberally), then top off with the veggies. Place your pie in a preheated 450°oven for about fifteen minutes, until the crust is just starting to brown.

Please excuse the tardiness of this post…

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

Never having had the pleasure of a pavlova before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Enter my new favorite dessert! Start with a chocolate meringue “cookie” of sorts, top with chocolate mousse, and then drizzle it with creme anglaise. What these pavlovas lack in beauty, they more than make up for in decadence.

There was more than enough mousse and creme anglaise to go around. So, what’s a girl to do with the leftovers? How about eating creme anglaise dipped chocolate mousse by the spoonful straight from the bowl? While it’s certainly not a creative approach, it is perhaps the most efficient method for transferring said deliciousness to your tastebuds.

Enjoy and be sure to visit Dawn for the recipe. While you’re at it, check out our blogroll to see the rest of the Daring Bakers’ fabulous creations.

Just in case I haven’t mentioned it before, I adore ganache!! Thanks, Dharmagirl, for choosing this simple, decadent chocolate tart for this week’s Tuesdays With Dorie recipe.

This tart took so little time, I couldn’t believe I was actually making a recipe for the blog. The crust is Dorie‘s recipe for sweet tart dough sans nuts. The filling is an easy-peasy ganache made of bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, and of course, butter. Dorie says this tart is best served the day it’s made, but we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one. I made this tart last night and had another piece today. It was just as too-die-for as it was last night!

I enjoyed mine with a cup of black coffee (and my mister), but it would be equally good with a tall glass of milk. I encourage you to make this rich, creamy tart, but do so at your own risk.

The recipe is available here courtesy of Dharmagirl. Be sure to peruse the rest of the TWD bakers’ concoctions here. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. Rumor has it one TWD’er added caramel and another baker added a layer of raspberry preserves. Love, love, love chocolate & raspberry!