Marina Delio's Blog, page 41

Raw Zucchini Salad Recipe

My favorite dinners are ones that come mostly from my backyard. They inspire me to be creative, are very inexpensive, and are as fresh as can be. This was one of those - Haven't been to the grocery store in days, what the heck am I going to make? - days, but it turned out deliciously just by combining the few foods I have growing in the yard. I wasn't planning to share this recipe since it was just a super simple last-minute throw together salad, but my Instagrammer friends insisted. And perhaps it will give you some inspiration if you, like me, are always looking for more zucchini recipes during the summer. I served this simple raw summer salad with a spinach quiche made with eggs straight from the coop for a healthy vegetarian dinner. 




I used my favorite julienne peeler to make zucchini "noodles" but you could use a mandolin, or make wider strips with a regular peeler. 




Read on for the simple recipe! 





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Carmel with Kids {travel}

Carmel is one of our favorite family travel weekend getaways. Carmel is a small town close to Monterey, on the Central California coast. It's about a four hour drive north from Santa Barbara, 5 hour drive from Los Angeles, and two hour drive south from San Francisco. 


Last weekend we surprised the girls with a weekend at the Carmel Valley Ranch. Yummy Hubby was going to be at the Laguna Seca racetrack watching the Moto GP motorcycle races, so I was on my own with the girls. I knew from last time, we would have plenty to do. The Carmel Valley Ranch is so much more than "a hotel" - it's park, playground, vineyard, farm, and luxurious (but not at all pretentious) resort all rolled into one. It's so kid and pet-friendly - everyone feels welcome. 





There are always fun activities going on at the Ranch. Recently there have been pickle-making classes, honey harvests, organic garden tours, and as always, nightly s'mores by the pool. The last time we visited, B and I did the amazing Bee Keeping Experience. We were lucky enough to visit during the annual lavender harvest last weekend. The girls and I met John, the beekeeper and lavender expert at the Ranch to harvest bunches upon bunches of lavender. We then took it to a lovely tea party in the organic garden and made our own lavender tea. John said that empty tea bags are available at Cost Plus, and I also found them on Amazon. We simply pulled some lavender buds off the plants, filled the bags, and steeped our tea. We could not believe how delicious this fresh tea was. Especially with the buttery lavender shortbread and other cookies the Ranch provided, along with lavender honey lemonade. Yum! I highly recommend making your own tea if you have fresh herbs growing in your garden. 



Has someone invented a scratch-n-sniff feature for computer screens yet? I wish you could smell the relaxing perfume of the lavender fields. We found many interesting feathers on our nature walks over the weekend, but our favorite was this Red Tailed Hawk feather the girls found in the garden. We thought it made a nice addition to our lavender bouquets. 




A small portion of the beautiful organic garden at Carmel Valley Ranch. Tall sunflowers, vegetables, and herbs that go directly to the Ranch kitchen.



One of our favorite parts of visiting the Ranch is the wildlife. Deer and wild turkey roam freely throughout the property.





Our glorious suite had not one, but TWO fireplaces. The living room and bedroom were separated by a long hallway and two doors. If you have little kiddos, you know how amazing this is - it means mom and dad don't have to go to bed silently at 7PM! Woo! You can put the kids to bed and then sit on the balcony with a glass of delicious Monterey wine.  Pictured above is the serene adult pool. I have yet to experience it, but that's okay, because the family pool is pretty darn fun... 

I had planned on venturing out into the town of Carmel, but the girls and I never left the Ranch. Thanks to the fun childcare activity cottage, I even got to work out for an hour while the girls did arts and crafts. The food was wonderful - pictured above is the Pea Ravioli with Truffles - and they had everything the kids and I needed for the weekend. 




Things to do in Carmel and Monterey with kids



Visit Earthbound Organic's Farm Stand for a garden tour or snack. 
Drive 20 minutes into Monterey to the Monterey Bay Aquarium 
Visit the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Our kids love running around the outdoor shopping center.
Go on a trail ride through Pebble Beach. Kids 7 and over can ride. 
Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey 
Go to the beach! 

Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad {Inspired by ABC's The Chew}

Grilled zucchini and corn, sweet cantaloupe, crunchy greens, and grilled shrimp to round out the meal. Salad is one of my favorite weeknight dinners and this one uses some of summer's best ingredients. I love using cantaloupe in savory dishes, and adore grilled fruit on salad - remember this Grilled Apricot Salad? I'm not a meat-eater, but sweet Tuscan cantaloupe with salty prosciutto and a little basil is incredible. This sweet/savory salad with grilled cantaloupe reminds me of those same flavors. When I saw Daphne make a Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad on ABC's The Chew, I was inspired to make my own salad with grilled cantaloupe for dinner. 

Aren't the colors amazing?! Those grilled veggies were just too pretty to chop up, so I served them in rows on top of the lettuce and cut them up once on my plate and for the kids.

This inspiration for this salad aired on the Summer Menu episode of The Chew. Did you catch it? Michael grilled some chicken to go along with the salad. I wanted our salad to be the main event - you know how I love my one-dish dinners and hate doing dishes. So I grilled some shrimp right along with the veggies to go on top and added some crostini croutons. My kids love Romaine lettuce, or "crunchies" as they call them, but I snuck some baby spinach in too. Our whole family loved the fresh summery flavors of this salad for a weeknight dinner, but it is so beautiful that it would be perfect to bring to a party or picnic. 

The Chew is one of my favorite cooking shows. The hosts are all so sweet and funny. You know a BBQ with this group would be a good time! 

 

Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad {Inspired by ABC's The Chew) 

printer friendly recipe

Yield: 4

 

Ingredients: 

1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, on skewers (optional) 
1 ear Sweet Summer Corn, husk removed 
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips 
1 medium cantaloupe, halved, seeded, skin removed and cut into 1-inch thick wedges 
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (I added in some baby spinach) 
2 Persian cucumbers, or 1 English cucumber, sliced 
1 cup cherry tomatoes, any color, halved 
croutons (optional) 
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves 
1/2 cup Daphne Oz's Red Wine-Shallot Vinaigrette (or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, sea salt, and pepper) 

Instructions:

 Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Coat grates with oil. Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper, if using. Place shrimp skewers on the grill and cook until pink on the outside and opaque in the middle, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Meanwhile,  place the corn on the grill and cook until browned in places. I like the corn on the more raw side, if you like yours more soft, cook for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally. Grill the zucchini until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Grill the cantaloupe until grill marks show up, about 2 minutes per side. 
Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Leave the other vegetables and cantaloupe in large pieces, or cut into bite-sized pieces. 
Place lettuce in a large serving bowl or platter. Arrange grilled shrimp, vegetables, cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons on top. I like to arrange the ingredients in rows. 
Tear or chiffonade basil and sprinkle over the salad. 
Dress salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, or Daphne's Red Wine Shallot Vinaigrette. 

I'm always looking for new ways to spice up my Summer dishes, and ABC’s The Chew serves up everything from grilling and outdoor entertaining to road trips and picnics. Watch weekdays 1e|12p|c on ABC to see what celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz are dishing out to inspire you this Summer.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ABC’s The Chew. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ABC’s The Chew. The opinions and text are all mine.

How to Make Sushi

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Last week the girls and I visited our local Japanese market, Nikka. We had planned on making sushi for dinner, but really I had no clue what I was doing. All three of us loved perusing the shop, looking at the variety of rice crackers, Pocky and koala cookies, rices, bento box supplies... I could go on and on. Eventually, after throwing some "necessary" items like kids chopsticks into our basket, we got back on track and got what we came for: sushi rice, nori, and rice vinegar. We had so much fun making sushi at home, and an easy sushi recipe is perfect for hot summer days when you don't want to turn on the oven, and crave fresh healthy ingredients. 



Back home we cooked our sushi rice, sliced the veggies, and rolled up our sushi rolls. 




Keep reading after the break! 


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10 Things Kids (or anyone!) Learn from Gardening + Cracker Barrel Giveaway!

We have been enjoying spending time caring for our garden on these long sunny days. And though slugs, snails, wild rabbits, and aphids are driving me absolutely batty, we are all loving slowing down in this busy life, getting our hands (fine, whole bodies) muddy, and growing our own food.



As we've been working in the garden, I've realized many things kids (and adults) can learn from gardening. As a busy mom friend just said to me this morning via facebook, "It really is a gigantic enhancement in the kids lives." 



Here are just a few of my observations. And read all the way to the end for a farm-to-table giveaway! 













- Responsibility: if the plants aren't watered, they die.  







- Appreciation for nature: "We need bees!" is a great thing to hear kids exclaim when they are usually afraid of getting stung. Our girls now understand that when flowers on our plants are open, we want bees to come fertilize them. My 3 year old was just excitedly saying, "Mommy look, the bees are organizing our plants!" She meant fertilizing, of course - so cute. 









 -Patience: It can be really hard to wait until the fruit is ready to be picked. There have been many many white strawberries picked at our house. 









-Healthy eating: Kids see firsthand the beauty that is real food. It's food that comes from a seed, grows in the dirt, and needs TLC. It's not a pre-packaged product from the grocery store. 




- Calm: being outside listening to birds chirping rather than tv/iPad is relaxing! 




-Self confidence:  "I did it! I grew this amazing watermelon all by myself!" 




-Teamwork: Planning a garden is a team effort. I couldn't have done it without Yummy Hubby building our raised beds and the kids working together for the common goal of producing fruits and vegetables. 




-Family time: This one isn't something to learn, but it's almost impossible to be looking at your phone or computer while working in the garden with your kids. 




-Working hard and physical exercise: Digging holes in the dirt, lifting bags of soil, and even lifting a heavy hose is hard work and good exercise for little ones (and moms).






- Science: Research what specific plants need to thrive. A delicate balance of nutrients, light, and soil are needed to grow veggies. 



-Problem Solving: "Why is our plant not thriving? What can we do to get rid of these aphids? How can we protect the plants from rabbit nibbles?" 



Want that farm-feeling in your house? Cracker Barrel is giving one of my readers an awesome gift basket! 







Cracker Barrel generously sent me a fabulous gift basket filled with farm to table goodies, and they're going to give you one too! I received the cutest Milk Jug Measuring Cups, Veggie Apron, Food in Jars book, gift card and so much more. 






Enjoy fresh style for your home with Cracker Barrel’s new Farm-Inspired Collection. The collection includes an exclusive stoneware dining set inspired by summer farm stands, plus other home accents full of farmhouse charm.  The Farm To Table Collection is available at Cracker Barrel stores and online (http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/b/7092682011).  Stay up to date with new retail collections and menu items available at Cracker Barrel  at www.facebook.com/crackerbarrel , www.twitter.com/crackerbarrel or www.pinterest.com/crackerbarrel.










a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Simple Middle Eastern Dinner with An Edible Mosaic {Vegetarian}

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Beyond grabbing the pre-made Balela (chickpea salad) from Trader Joe's, Middle Eastern cooking was something I was not very familiar with. Until the lovely Faith Gorsky, sent me a copy of her cookbook, An Edible Mosaic. Faith is a fellow blogger and cookbook author who also did all of her own photography. Knowing firsthand how much LOVE, blood, sweat, and tears goes into creating a beautiful book like this, I couldn't wait to dive right in. Faith is such a sweet gal, and I loved reading about how her Syrian mother-in-law taught her to cook traditional Middle Eastern dishes. 




Inspired by Faith's book, I made my family a Middle Eastern feast this week. It was a long busy day of summer day camps and tired kids and I only had 20 minutes to get dinner on the table, so I took some shortcuts - I used 1 can of chickpeas and roasted them in the oven for 10 minutes to dry them out a bit instead of soaking dried beans. And I used store-bough hummus and flatbread. Don't tell Faith, because her traditional recipes for those things are amazing. I made falafel for the first time ever and it was incredible. Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, with warm nutty flavors. Nothing like the overly dry falafel I've had in the past. I loved them in a lettuce wrap with hummus and tabbouleh. The more traditional flatbread wrap method was equally (perhaps even more) mouthwatering.







Faith's falafel inside a lettuce wrap with hummus and tabbouleh. An amazingly satisfying vegetarian meal. This meal was so tasty I'm going to make a point of making Middle Eastern feast nights more often. 





I wasn't sure how this was going to go over with the kids. But... they loved it! I found myself saying, "Stop eating Mommy's work!" several times while snapping photos. Always a good sign. 




Menu and recipes after the break! 





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Lightened Up Stracciatella Gelato Recipe

I hope you had a fun filled 4th and are enjoying the summer. Today we decided to make the ultimate summer recipe - ice cream. Homemade ice cream is so much fresher and tastier than store-bought, and being able to control the ingredients that go into your recipe is an added bonus. I used a combination of organic cane sugar and stevia, but you could use coconut sugar, maple syrup... whatever you like! And the same goes for the milk... whole, low-fat, goats milk... they all work. We started by making a plain vanilla ice cream recipe, and at the last minute I got a major hankering for stracciatella. If you haven't had stracciatella gelato before, you're in for a real treat when you try this recipe. I fell in love with stracciatella at Gelateria delle Carrozze. I think I ate one every day for months on end. Because that is what one must do to really immerse herself in Italian culture, of course.  Unlike regular chocolate chips, the fine chocolate shavings in stracciatella gelato just melt in your mouth. 




More after the break! 


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Best 4th of July Recipes

USA Independence Day is this Thursday! I know many of you are not in the US, but you can enjoy these colorful summer recipes too. 




Pictured above from left to right: 

1. Hibiscus Sparkler

2. Frozen Yogurt Pie with Granola Crust 

3. American Flag Almond Butter and Berry Toast *see above

4. Marshmallow Star Wands 

5. Minted Watermelon, Cucumber, and Blueberry Salad and Chips 

6. Bite-Sized Star Ice Cream Sandwiches *see directions below

7. Patriotic Salad 

6. Balsamic Strawberry Crostata 




If you have a copy of the Yummy Mummy Kitchen cookbook, the Sugared Blueberry Goat Cheese Crostini, the Curry McCutcheon, and the Frozen Raspberry Souffles would all be awesome for the 4th of July. 






Start off your 4th of July on a healthy note: whole grain toast (I like Ezekiel), almond butter, raspberries, sliced banana, and blueberries. 






Soooo... these little babies were somewhat of a recipe fail. I tried making super healthy cookies with dates instead of sugar and quinoa flour, and they were okay, but not blog worthy. I do love this idea though. Cut chocolate cookie dough out with a small (I used 2") square cookie cutter. Then cut stars out of half the squares with a mini star cookie cutter. Bake, cool, and fill with strawberry ice cream. You could keep these for a few days in an airtight container in the freezer. If you love this idea, simply use your favorite chocolate sugar cookie recipe, or this one. To make them gluten-free, quinoa flour should work, or an all-purpose gluten free flour. 




Do you have a favorite 4th of July recipe? Leave the recipe of link in the comments! 







For more patriotic red, white, and blue inspiration, check out my Pinterest board. 









And I've partnered with What to Expect for another Fantastic Fourth board!







Happy Independence Day!

Hibiscus Tea Sparkler + Coupon Code

This hibiscus tea sparkler has zero calories (except for the fruit), is naturally caffeine free, refreshing, and sweet. Tea is one of my favorite mama diet tricks, but this recipe is fun and tasty for the whole family and would be so festive to serve at a 4th of July party. You can buy hibiscus tea drinks at coffee shops, but why not save money and calories by making it yourself? 





Oops! The girls loved this recipe. It's a great way to keep everyone hydrated in the summer without artificial colors and additives. It has a mild floral fruity flavor and a naturally fun color. 






As I was saying before... nightly tea is my favorite diet trick. You know when the munchies strike? You're not hungry, but you crave some flavor. Instead of grabbing the chips or a pint of ice cream, every night after the kids go to bed I have a cup of herbal tea. It's calorie free and relaxing, and herbal tea has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. Sometimes I add a drop of stevia or a slice of lemon for extra flavor. I was thrilled to find a box from The Republic of Tea on my doorstep yesterday containing several new SuperHerb Teas perfect for my nightly tea ritual. They also sent me the cutest mini glass teapot. I absolutely love it and will be using this sweet little teapot nightly. 




The Republic of Tea has generously offered you a coupon code for the teapot! 






If you purchase one tin or refill bag of The Republic of Tea’s new SuperHerb™ teas between Wednesday, June 26 and Wednesday, July 3 you will receive one of our most popular glass teapots for free—the Perfect Two Cuppa Teapot (limit one per customer): http://www.republicoftea.com/perfect-two-cuppa-teapot/p/V00951/




PROMO CODE: SUPERHERB3












Get the super simple recipe for the Hibiscus Tea Sparkler after the break! 


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Minted Watermelon, Cucumber, and Blueberry Salad Recipe for July 4th

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Sweet, refreshing, and slightly crunchy. This red, white (almost?), and blue salsa-like salad is perfect on chips or a piece of grilled fish and is a great healthy recipe for the 4th of July. Which, by the way, is next week. 






Friday afternoon some of my girlfriends and their families came over for a backyard BBQ. The chickens were roaming around, the girls put on princess clothes and asked Gwendolyn about her trip to Disneyland, and we all relaxed on the lawn - it really felt like summer. My girlfriends all brought the most amazing side dishes. Ronda brought a salad with shrimp and Sarah brought a salad of Tuscan cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, and mint. It was so good I had to make a similar version the next night for dinner and to share with you.




Recipe after the break!


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