La Campagna!

Laura Taxel, author of Cleveland Ethnic Eats, is my new hero! I had gone to hear her speak a couple of months ago at the library. Someone in the crowd asked for a recommendation for an Italian restaurant on the westside of Cleveland and she replied, "La Campagna"!

So last night was B's birthday and I surprised him by taking him to a restaurant that we have never been to. In fact, he had never heard of the restaurant. It was risky..... but it turned out to be great. Better than great.... amazing!

La Campagna is a little Italian restaurant tucked into an average looking shopping center in Westlake. It a tiny little place that you would never look twice at. Laura Taxel described it as a gift shop by day and restaurant by night. It is family owned and everything is made to order. The owners shop daily(from local vendors) and try to use foods which are organic when available. The menu changes everyday. Laura Taxel had recommended that a reservation be made because the restaurant might just close up if it has no customers coming. Another warning..... there is no written menu. They make a handful of entrees daily and they just list them for you. Now, I like this kind of adventurous eating, but, others may not. But, I will tell you that everything we ate was extraordinary!

We started off with a bottle of Syrah(above) and a fried pepper appetizer(below). The wine is purchased from the shop so it is not marked up and there is a large selection. This picture of the peppers does not do them justice. They were simply sauteed in olive oil with a generous sprinkling of sea salt. However, there was a nice combination of sweet yellows and reds along with some spicy Poblanos. So simple but delicious!

Next we ordered our entrees which were accompanied by salad and soup. B had a corn and clam chowder. I had the salad below. It was a nice mix of fresh greens, blueberries, and goat cheese. One of the owners was actually making the salad dressing, a balsamic with fresh figs, minutes before I received the salad! It was like eating at a family members house, except an extremely talented family member. I think I may have to adopt this family!

My entree was mussels in a fresh tomato broth. Also phenominal.


But B's dish was the award winner of the night. He ordered their clam bake. This clambake wasexceptional. Check out the lobster twice baked potato in the front of this plate. There was no skimping on the lobster. The chicken was cooked with some nice herbs and very moist. The corn was picked that day.



Needless to say... we were very happy customers!!!! The price was also a pleasant surprise. I intend on becoming one of the regulars at this spot.

Weight Watchers... a proven success.

A weight loss study that came out this week which indicates that Weight Watchers is one of the most effective methods for losing weight. 772 obese people were followed in Australia, Germany, and the UK over a years time. The results showed that those who followed Weight Watchers lost an average of 14.7 pounds as compared to those on standard diets who only lost about 7# after 12 months.

There was no information suggesting the reason for its success, but, I have to think it is a result of the weekly support that members receive. It is always easier to accomplish something difficult in numbers. Also, the weekly meetings provide lost of inspiration. Although I have never been a member of weight watchers, I really like the recipes. One of my favorite recipes is the Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf. It is easy, healthy, and low in cholesterol and fat. Oh, and it tastes good which is always helpful. Here are the steps....

1. Separate 2 egg whites into a bowl

2. Add 1 1/2# of ground turkey

3. Add 1/2 cup of minced onion

4. Add 1/2 c of bread crumbs

5. Add 1 c. of part-skim mozzarella

6. Add 10 oz of chopped frozen spinach(thawed and drained)

7. Add 1 T of Worcestershire sauce

8. Add 2 T of ketchup or spaghetti sauce

9. Mix all ingredients and pack into a greased loaf pan


10. Bake for 60 minutes at 375 degrees and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Cut into even pieces and enjoy!

One more tomato recipe....

Oh Cleveland summers... how I hate to see you come to an end. Today was actually cold!!! That gazpacho soup I made last week is no longer appropriate for this week's weather. When I look over at the garden, I am seeing less and less red spots which makes me a bit sad. But, I still have a plate full of tomatoes, so, I am going to use them to the best of my ability.

I hope you all are not sick of tomato recipes because I have one more tomato soup recipe to share. It looks kind of simple but the flavors in this soup are sweet and tangy and delicious! It makes an easy weeknight dinner but could also be a great starter if you are having guests. You will not be sorry you made it in either scenario.

So here is the recipe for Tomato Rice Soup with Garlic and Herbs(William Sonoma).

• Mince 1 small yellow onion



• 1/2 c. of garlic cloves cut in halves
  

• 
  
  Warm 3T of olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft for about 15 minute.
  

• Add 2 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped.
  

• Add 3 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes



• Chop 3 T of mixed chopped fresh parsley and chives



• Chop 1 T of fresh oregano and/or summer savory
  

• Add 1/3 cup long-grain white rice and herbs to the soup
  


• Simmer until the rice is cooked about 15-20 minutes
  
  
  

• Add 1 T. red wine vinegar



• Add 1/4 cup of a fruit red wine such as Zinfandel and salt and pepper to taste



• Serve immediately!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Gazpacho Recipe

I am always amazed by the talent of chefs.... It is so cool the way they are able to know instinctively what ingredients blend well together. They also seem to be able to just rattle off the amounts of the ingredients without thinking twice. I, on the other hand, still need to follow recipes when I cook...most of the time. I'm O.K. with that. I love recipes! I especially love the recipe below. Yea, I know, its kind of raggedy. Its kind of stained and yellow. Its not pretty.

When I was in college in Louisville, KY, I was lucky enough to live next to a chef in training. One day I mentioned that I was looking for a good gazpacho recipe and he scratched this out for me in minutes. I have been using it for about 18 years! Thus, its ugly appearance.

This picture is a little more attractive. Gazpacho is from Spain and I've heard people call it "liquid salad" which describes it well. It can be served cold or at room temp and is great on the hottest days of summer. O.K. I'm done talking about it... the recipe is below.

Gazpacho Louisville

Blend the following ingredients in a blender or food processor:

4 tomatoes

2 cucumbers

1 bell pepper

1 carrot

1 pint of V8 juice(I like spicy)

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 dash of tobasco

1/2 t celery salt

1 t fresh garlic

2 t salt and 1 tsp pepper


Add these following ingredients to the soup chopped finely but not blended:


1 small onion minced

1 stalk of celery minced

1 tomato diced

dash of cumin

Garnish with cilantro if you like.

Coconut Oil???

Well, I have to say as much as I love health and wellness and have been working in this field for some time now.... I still become so confused and crazed with all the false advertising and confusing nutritional information that I hear daily in the media . Right? It can be so frustrating. It's no wonder people in this country are becoming more and more obese. We are bombarded with so many mixed messages. Who can decipher which bits of information are true and valuable?

Take coconut oil for example.... I am not exaggerating when I tell you that if there was a list of EVIL foods in my college dietetics courses, this would have been tops on the list. It is very high in saturated fat and therefore, puts people at risk for high cholesterol and weight gain.

So, that being said.... The other day, I received some coconut oil from one of my family members. I was taken aback at first... are they trying to upset me? Then she explained that she had heard how much better coconut oil is for you as compared to other oils. Huh?? She must be delirious. So, I took the coconut oil home(tried to keep an open mind) and decided to see what all the hype was about.



According to my most sound resource, The American Dietetics Association website, coconut oil still continues to be a food that high is saturated fat. It does, in fact, raise both the bad cholesterol(LDL) and good cholesterol(HDL). However, the fact that it raises both does not change the ratio of bad to good cholesterol. This is a good thing. So, in other words, it is probably not as bad as butter. And it has a pleasant coconutty flavor when you cook with it.

Another reason for the hype... it can be used by vegans as a butter substitute.

I found this recipe printed by the NY Times- Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes....


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and cut up 3 to 4 sweet potatoes into 1/2 in chunks



3. In a large bowl, combine 2 tsp of brown suger, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Add 2 T. virgin coconut oil.

Toss in the cut-up sweet potato and mix gently mix until it is well coated. Spread the sweet potato chunks onto a baking sheet.

Roast in the 350 degree oven, until soft and carmelized, for about 1 hour.

Delicious! No butter needed.

Recipe... Whole-Wheat Linguine with Tomatoes and Green Beans

Looking for a good recipe for all your garden cherry tomatoes and green beans?? I keep finding myself going back to Giada. Her recipes always turn out well and are simple. Now that school has started, I will be looking for lots of simple meals. The tough part is trying to find simple while still being healthy.

This pasta recipe feels like a heavy cream sauce without all the fat and calories. It uses part-skim ricotta and pasta water which mimics an alfredo-type sauce. The recipe is as follows:

1. Boil 1 # of whole wheat linguine for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, but, make sure you reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Add 1/2 c. part-skim ricotta to the hot pasta.
2. Next, saute 1 chopped clove of garlic in 3 T olive oil. Add 1/2# of trimmed green beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved pasta water and cook for about 4 minutes or until tender.

3. Add the pasta and ricotta mixture to the pan of green beans.

4. Add 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes and gently toss.




5. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the zest of 1 lemon. The lemon is key to lots of flavor in this dish, so, be generous with the zest.

Thanks Giada!

Geauga Fresh Farmers Market

I think I may have a problem... I have become obsessed with farmers markets. I love everything about them. I love the smell of basil that wafts through the air. I love the sight of people, both young and old, trying new foods products and smiling once they've found something delicious and new. I love hearing each of the vendors proudly talking about why their produce or bakery is the best.

I don't like to play favorites but, this market in South Russell Village has been one of the best. They had something for everyone. The vendors were so friendly, generous, and informative.
So, the rest of this post is pretty much going to be pictures which speak for themselves.

Jack's Mountain Farm- Amazing peaches both red and white

This vendor, Maplestar Farms, informed me that there are over 30 varieties of garlic ranging from mild to spicy. I chose a spicier Chesnock Red variety.

Mackenzie Creamery- OMG!

These are different varieties of goat cheese including Honey Sweet Fire, Blue, Fig, Blueberry Lemon and Black Truffle. Try the "Blue" on a burger.

Sorry, didn't catch the name, but, aren't they pretty?

Cake Kisses!

These tomatoes would make a beautiful Caprese Salad with all the variety of color!

More explosive color from Sleeping Dragon Botanicals. These were only $6... not bad.

Rock Valley Run CSA Farm. I tried a new fruit! Ground cherries! These are a combination of a tomatillo and cherry. So delicious!

Sand Farm LLC- Grass fed beef

Lots of lettuce from Great Lakes Growers

My farmers market bag is full but happy. I might have to give up my cute bag for a less stylish rolling cart.

Oh, one last vendor I need to mention...speaking of cute and stylish... This is not a food vendor, but, I thought her jewelry was amazing. I am so sorry I do not have a picture. However, you can check out her lovely creations at http://www.jlynncreations.etsy.com/ or just take a trip to South Russell Village.

FYI.... Geauga Farmers Markey will be having a tomato tasting contest on Sept 9th and a salsa tasting contest on Sept 23rd.