I Need Your Vote!!! Cooking Light Contest + $1000 Drawing

Good morning fair readers. Forgive me, but I need your help (I'll try not to grovel :))

I am one of 7 finalists in the COOKING LIGHT Ultimate Reader Contest--Grand Prize $20,000 & trip to NYC. I can still hardly believe my recipe was chosen as a finalist! So exciting! I love Cooking Light magazine.

30% of my overall score, though, comes from online votes. You can vote 1x per day per email address for the next month. And by entering, you are put into a drawing for $1000--not bad!

Here's the link!

COOKING LIGHT CONTEST--VOTE FOR CAMILLA!

My recipe is Fire Roasted Seafood Stew w/ Fennel & Fresh Herbs. We had to use a sponsor ingredient, and I used the Paul Newman Fire Roasted Pasta Sauce. It is scrumptious (if I do say so myself) and super-easy.

I would be so grateful for your votes. And if you feel like forwarding to any friends, thank you thank you in advance!

And here's the recipe:

Fire Roasted Seafood Stew with Fennel and Fresh Herbs

2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tbsp oil
1½ cups chopped fresh fennel bulb (about 1 large bulb)
1 jar Newman’s Own Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
2 8-ounce bottle clam juice
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup fresh orange juice
1½ tsp finely grated orange zest, divided
1½ tsp smoked paprika (sweet kind, such as McCormick)
16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
½ pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
½ pound bay scallops
1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup fennel fronds (reserved from fennel bulb), chopped

Serves: 8

Directions
Aioli: Place the garlic on a cutting board, sprinkle with salt and mash to a paste with the flat of a chef’s knife. Combine with the mayonnaise, orange juice, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl. Chill.

Stew: Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add fennel and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the pasta sauce, clam juice, white wine, 1/2 cup orange juice, orange zest, and smoked paprika. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

Add clams to cooking liquid. Cover pot and cook until clams open, about 10 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Add cod, shrimp and scallops. Simmer until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season stew to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle stew into bowls. Sprinkle with basil and fennel, drizzle with aioli, and serve.

Magic Bulllet Winners!

All of the quick recipe ideas sounded wonderful! But only four could be chosen, and here are the winners selected by the Magic Bullet power that be.

Susan, Carly, Annie D., and Junkie, please send me your full name and mailing address asap so your magic bullet can be shipped to you!

1. SusanRecipe:
We're following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to see if it will help with my five year old daughter's ulcerative colitis.
We just traveled to a conference/camp for the weekend and took our old Magic Bullet (I wish I had heard about the To Go option sooner!) and it was great because we were able to make smoothies, pancakes, chicken guacamole and more with it.
Here's one of our favorite snacks right now - which can be adapted for those who are not on the SC Diet.
BANANA PANCAKES
Ingredients:
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Large Banana (or two small bananas)
- Pat of butter
- Cooked/mashed blueberries (optional)
Place two eggs and the banana(s) in the Magic Bullet or a blender (if you don't have the Magic Bullet!).
Blend the items together.
Place pat of butter on a griddle or in a pan.
Pour small amounts of the banana/egg batter onto the griddle or pan. (Smaller pancakes seem to work better - I usually can fit four per pan.)
Cook on medium for a minute or two until one side is golden brown, then flip and repeat. I just pour the batter straight from the Magic Bullet.
Optional topping: While the pancakes are cooking, take a cup or two of blueberries and place into a pot. Put on medium heat. Use a potato masher or other gadget to smash the blueberries. As the blueberries heat up on the stove, use the masher to squash the blueberries. Once the blueberries warm up, the color will turn purple. Continue to mash the blueberries until you get a chunky, jelly-like consistency. Place blueberry topping on pancakes and serve!
We usually have these after school or summer camp because they're fast and easy to make. I usually make enough blueberry sauce to cover 3-4 batches of pancakes.
For those who prefer a sweeter snack, you could add a little sugar or honey, but the pancakes alone are still slightly sweet due to the bananas and blueberries.

2. Carly
Recipe:
Mediterranean Crostini:
1/4 feta cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and quartered.
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. miced garlic, or garlic powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Mix above ingredients and served with pita bread that has been warmed in the oven.

3. Annie D.
Recipe:
Dads, grand-dads, and husbands alike all have found this recipe to be delicious!! It's quick, easy, healthy, and sure to please the masses!
In a FLASH Guacamole
1 Avocado, flesh scraped out
2 T Medium Salsa
2 T Chopped Onion
1 T Lemon or Lime Juice
2 Dashes of Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a bowl, mash the avocado and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Or for an even flashier FLASH, place all of the ingredients in a Magic Bullet Blender (small jar with the whipping blade) and whir together until blended (about 5 seconds).
Serve with your favorite chips, cut veggies, or as a spread on your favorite sandwich.

4. Junkie
Recipe:
Black Bean Brownies...say whaaattt??
Yep...a flour-less brownie that has left many in bewilderment ...but sufficiently satiated by the magically deliciousness :)
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
3 large eggs
1/3 cup melted butter, more for the baking dish
1/4 cup cocoa powder (if you're willing to spend the extra dough..go for a name brand such as Guittard or Scharffen Berger..will elevate the deliciousness...)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar
1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in the bowl of a food processor or BLENDER and process until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and/or walnuts. Pour into 8x9 in pan...Bake 30-35 minutes. I usually double the recipe to get thicker brownies..as these can be on the thin side..

Muhammara (Syrian Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

Camilla Makes Muhammara (GalTime Video)

Posting my muhammara video today initially like cheating, as I made this video about a month ago. So I made things square by whipping up another batch today. I'm trying not to smear it on the computer keys as I type.

I live on muhammara throughout the summer. Strike that--I make and eat it year-round, but it's particulrly wonderful during Texas summers when the heat is suffocating and the thought of turning on the oven is unthinkable. It is so easy to prepare, and keeps well (at least a week) in the refrigerator, ideal for impromptu snacks or lunches of it and crudites/pita, a spread for sandwiches (try it with tempeh and arugula!), or even stirred into some orzo or Israeli couscous along with a handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Are you sold?

If you plan to make it for a party, prepare for people to lick the bowl. It is just that good. If you wish to use fresh peppers for the dish (from your garden, farmer's market, or supermarket), use three large peppers; grill or roast until charred, place in a plastic bag to steam, then peel and seed.

Muhammara (Syrian Red Pepper-Walnut Dip/Spread)

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey (or agave to make it vegan)
4 cloves garlic, minced (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Serving suggestions: Pita, pita chips, fresh vegetables; or use as a spread on sandwiches and burgers or with fish or chicken.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until coarse puree forms. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to bowl. Makes about 2 cups dip/spread. Keep covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Lemon Tofu Cream with Fresh Raspberries

Good morning everyone! Despite the heat, it is a beautiful day here in small-town Texas. It was made better still moments ago because I just finished lapping up a dish of lemon tofu cream with raspberries. I made it last night for dessert, but it made a heavenly (and filling) late morning breakfast, too.

This is one of those recipes I have been meaning to make for ages. I first spotted it in the magazine Body + Soul ( a Martha Stewart publication) and knew it was only a matter of time before I made and ate it. I returned from California with a big bag of Meyer lemons from my parents' backyard tree, then raspberries went on sale at the grocery store, so the timing was finally perfect.

Talk about an idyllic summer sweet! Mr. anti-tofu (or so he thinks) loved it, especially the fact that he got his coveted protein (oh, the weight-lifting...) combined with a dessert. And Nick gobbled it up, so thumbs-up for a toddler-friendly, healthy, natural sugar dessert. I'll be making this all summer long. Cannot wait to try it with lime...and perhaps some ginger, and mango in place of the berries.

Kevin and I are in the midst of tearing apart our bathroom for a DIY project (joy--cannot wait to get of our powder-blue toilet!), but I will post again tomorrow. I have several half-written posts of recipes I am itching to share, including some great no-cook summer dinners.

Don't forget to send in an entry for the Magic Bullet giveaway!

Lemon Tofu Cream with Fresh Raspberries

I've altered this recipe slightly from the Martha version, swapping raspberries for blackberries, crushing half of the berries with a bit of sweetener, then layer the mixture between the cream. You can certainly opt to spoon the berry mixture atop the cream instead. And feel free to substitute an equal amount of honey for the agave nectar.

4 tsp grated lemon zest, divided use
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp agave nectar, divided use
1 package (12 ounces) silken tofu, firm or extra-firm, drained
2 cups fresh raspberries

Combine 3 tsp (1 tbsp) of the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup agave nectar, and tofu in a blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides of blender with rubber spatula as necessary.

In a small bowl, mash 1 cup of the raspberries with the remaining 2 teaspoons agave nectar. Gently mix in the remaining raspberries.

Divide 2/3 of the lemon cream evenly among four bowls or serving glasses. Spoon raspberry mixture over cream, then top with the remaining 1/3 of the cream and sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp lemon zest. . Makes 4 servings.

Great Giveaway: Magic Bullet to Go Blender

Oy vey. How can it have been so long since my last post? So sorry readers. Ispent two weeks in the homeland (California) visiting family (much food-bliss to share with all of you) and between the week getting ready to go and the week back home catching up, (gulp) no posting.

But I have a ruse to get your attention following my over-long absence: a great giveaway for a Magic Bullet Blender. Better still, it is a "to go" model, so you can blend delicious, healthy concoctions near and far (I'm already wondering if TSA will let me blend a smoothie in flight...)

So, here are the directions. Read them carefully, as this is unlike any other giveaway I've done before, the primary differences being that (1) I will not be choosing the winner; the Magic Bullet PR company will choose a winner from those who post comments; (2) You need to become a fan of Magic Bullet on Facebook; and (3) you need to submit a quick and easy snack recipe (not just a general comment) for your comment.

Contest Begins: Now!
Contest Ends: 5PM EST June 18, 2010

Magic Bullet wants to know what your favorite snack food recipe is!

Father's Day is right around the corner! Magic Bullet wants to help you celebrate the fathers in your lives by giving you a Magic Bullet to Go. Summertime is in full swing and you know what that means - delicious snacks. Magic Bullet wants to hear all of your delicious recipes! If you think you have the best snack recipe, share your recipe with the blogosphere – you might just win a Magic Bullet To Go along with the travel bag.

To enter: (1) leave a comment to this post on Enlightened Cooking sharing your great snack food recipe, and (2) Become a fan of the Magic Bullet - The Official Page on facebook. Here is the link: MAGIC BULLET FACEBOOK PAGE

Good Luck!!!!!