All right, so perhaps it’s not the most summery of culinary exploits, but last night, I had a hankering for some creamy risotto.  In fact, I’ve been craving risotto for a while, ever since having an out-of-this-world risotto experience this past winter at L’Espalier in Boston.  It takes me a while to get around to some things.  Of course, I pick the muggiest/hottest week of the year to slave over a gas stove.

My camera battery is dead, so I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the dish.  I have to admit, it’s not exactly “pretty.”  But man, was it delicious!  Slightly sweet, perfectly savory, it’s a great switch from the traditional Pumpkin Risotto.

Sweet Potato Risotto

**Note: Ingredient measurements are approximations**

3/4 tbsp olive oil

2 pats butter, unsalted

1 cup arborio rice

2 cans chicken broth

1/2 cup frozen broccoli

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 can sweet potato puree

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated pamesan cheese for serving

1)  In a frying pan, warm 2 pats of butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, add rice and saute for roughly 2 minutes (stirring every few seconds).  Add frozen broccoli one minute in.  Stir every few seconds.

2)  Add one can chicken broth, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir frequently, watching the rice as it soaks up the broth.  About five minutes in, start adding in second can of chicken broth in steps, until rice is tender.

3) Fold in sweet potato puree and heat through.  Serve with grated parmesan on top.

Sometimes my best ideas come out of pure desperation.  Last week, I went out to a fabulous dinner at Orinoco in Brookline Village.  The restaurant serves delectable Venezuelan dishes that range from simple arepas and empanadas to slow-braised beef loin and an amazing heart of palms salad.  I ordered the Pollo Adobo, a chicken slow-roasted in spices and oregano oil served with gnocchi-like dumplings in a truffle cream sauce.  Absolutely incredible.  In an uncharacteristic bout of foresight, I decided to wrap half my dinner up to take home.

Lo and behold, Friday night I arrived home late from work, exhausted.  Completely lacking the energy to grocery shop, I found the to-go container full of chicken.  After a brief victory dance, I then plowed around in the fridge trying to figure out what to pair with it.  And this is what I came up with:

Chicken, Peach, and Romaine Salad in an Ahi Pepper Vinaigrette:

For the salad…

One roasted chicken breast (make your own Oregano Chicken)

One medium peach

2 cups romaine lettuce

1/2 bell pepper (I used 1/4 red and 1/4 orange)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/2 cup white mushrooms

1/4 vidalia onion

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette…

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ahi pepper puree

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the chicken and mix up the vinaigrette.  In a frying pan, add a little bit of olive oil and saute chopped onion and mushrooms.  Place on salad when caramelized.  Chop remaining veggies and peach, put the salad together and serve.  Add crumbled feta on top, if you so choose.  Serve with bread and cheese (like I did!) if you ultimately decide to leave out the feta.

very close replica of my own cookie-goodness by esthereggy via flickr

I can, at times, be a cookie snob.  I like my cookies just so: a little crunch on the outside with a nice gooey, chewy center.  Most recipes I’ve tried have turned out agreeable results, but never have I found a recipe that just oozes cookie-ness.  Until now.

Exploring the Not Without Salt website, I came across a recipe for what the blog’s writer, Ashley, touts as “The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie.”  Pretty lofty title for such a humble confection.  However, she could not possibly be more correct.  The dough tastes of a classic brown sugar cookie dough; it’s light but with some heft, so neither do you feel like you’re biting into a biscuit, nor does it cook into some wafer-thin cracker (two problems I’ve had with previous recipes).  The chocolate is, in one word, abundant.  And spread throughout the cookie so that every bite contains its melty bits.

I’ve adapted Ashley’s recipe for my own time and budget, cutting out the Turbinado sugar (and just using granulated sugar) and using Trader Joe’s milk chocolate chips (which I ran, semi-successfully, through a food processor to chop up a bit) instead of fancy chocolate.  Also, I forgot to sprinkle on the sea salt, which was probably to my detriment, because I can only imagine how amazing these must be with a little crunch of saltiness on top.  Regardless, despite my ommissions and additions, these were by far the best cookies I’ve ever made.  Enjoy!

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie by Ashley at notwithoutsalt.com

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup Turbinado sugar

1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2  eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)

Cream the butter and the sugars until light. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk, stir to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.

If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.

Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

As some of you may remember, on Earth Day of this year, I vowed to devise and adhere to a more eco-friendly, green lifestyle.  That has manifested itself in the exclusion of refined carbohydrates, relinquishing my freak Splenda supply (22 days, 10 hours, and 45 minutes since my last packet), cooking at home, being less wasteful, and using public transportation.

Today marked a milestone in my progression into eco-living: I’ve given up driving my car.  My beloved 1997 Dodge Avenger.  Those who know me might be shocked by this, because they know I love my car.  I even have a theme song for it.  A climactic Whitesnake-esque, 80’s ballad that expresses my endless adoration for this magnificent set of wheels simply by singing out, “DODGE AVENGERRRR!” in my best hard rock falsetto.  However, it’s been getting a bit too expensive to tool around in ol’ Foxy.  She’s a little worse for wear and not getting the mileage she once did.  I’m keeping her around for the long hauls, but my new ride of choice is the sleek Stella:

hey there, fellas

Again, here I go with the naming of inanimate objects.  Stella is my relatively-new chariot for the streets of Boston.  Last year, I bought her as a birthday present to myself; rode around for a bit; took her up to Vermont; but never made the commitment to use her on my trek to work.  This week, that all changed.  And she’s holding up pretty well, even after a few rough days on the job.  Someone should really talk to Mumbles Menino about those pot-holes.  Sheesh.

Now what does all of this have to do with food?  Well, for one, it is another way in which creating a lifestyle around a diet effects other aspects of your life.  If I strive to eat more organically and locally, in an attempt to help save the environment, how can I justify driving the 5 miles to work in a gas-guzzling sports car?  Also, using my bike limits the amount of food (and therefore packaging) that I can buy.  I am no longer wasting produce or meat that I simply can’t finish before it expires.  I’m not wasting precious backpack space on bags of Cheez Doodles or Hagen Daaz.  Because I carry less, I buy less, and therefore stick with the foods that are going to feed me, i.e. be healthful, rather than pick-and-go foods.  For example, today I bought fresh tomatoes for Roasted Tomato Sauce, rather than the sugar-laden jarred variety.  Also, plain yogurt and fresh berries for smoothies, rather than jugs of Odwalla.

P.S.  I’m always interested in hearing about other ways to live more greenly.  Please leave a comment if you have a tip or two!