cook the book: ottolenghi's soba noodles with eggplant & mango

Hi there.  It’s been a while!  Life has been busy and interesting lately, and it hasn’t left much time or capacity for blogging.  When I last updated you, I was gearing up a fun Spring weekend.  My sister was going to be making a brief stop in DC en route to Charlottesville for Foxfield, and I was Spotifying my face off in preparation for Sweetlife.  But as we know, sometimes life makes other plans.  Bollie’s eight-hour stopover turned into a forty-eight hour one.  This was no choice of hers (or mine) – but 103.7 degrees, two doctors, three prescriptions, and one emergency room trip later, it was clear the only place she was going was my bed.  Mercifully, she is fine now, and even though we both missed out on our other plans, we enjoyed spending some lazy, uninterrupted time together - a rare treat these days.  (Okay, so I think I liked it more than she did.  And I also secretly loved getting to nurse her back to health.)

After my weekend nursing shift was done, I had a particularly hellacious week of work.  And on Friday, just when I thought I was in the clear, I was on the brink of a (literal) technical disaster.  That morning, my trusty seven-year-old Dell Laptop finally died.  Not a surprise, but frustrating nonetheless.  I thought I had lost a lot of music and pictures from the last time I backed it up, but with some tech savvy, a lot of finagling, and a little bit of luck, I was able to get what I needed, so no love lost.

All of six hours after The Fossil went to Tech Heaven, my iPad fell off the couch, hit my hardwood floor on its funny bone, and shattered.  In utter disbelief, I headed to Apple, where I shared my Genius bar appointment with a sockless, 70-year-old Georgetowner with iPhone issues, and who was also quite taken with our Genius.  His blue-blazer’ed elbow repeatedly nudged my bare forearm, and with a grin and a wink, would ask me, “Isn’t it just so nice to deal with somebody who knows what they’re talking about?”  (Note:  I hate being touched.  Get out of my personal space.)  But I smiled and nodded as I waited for the Genius to finish formatting my replacement, only to charge me some ridiculous sum of money for an outdated model and twenty minutes worth of labor, the latter of which was actually shared with Grandpa Wink-Nudge.  As I was leaving, the Genius said, “May the Fourth be with you.”  Icing on the cake.  

Leaving the store, I did what any other mature adult does when she feels defeated.  I called my mother.  And what did she say?  “You better be careful driving home.”

When it rains, it pours.  (And five minutes later, it did.)

I arrived home feeling tired, clumsy, and a little bit broken.  As I changed out of my wet clothes and collapsed onto the sofa, my apartment’s sweet office manager called to let me know they were about to close, and would I like for him to drop off my present?

Why yes, I would, thank you.  This “present” was a cookbook that I ordered from Amazon.  After months of reading about Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, I finally bought myself a copy.  I instantly fell in love with the vibrant recipes and stunning photography.  Ottolenghi owns and operates the eponymous London gourmet deli, similar to Balducci’s or Dean and Deluca.  His business model, centered around grab-and-go fare that is casual, healthy, and interesting, lends itself well to an at-home cookbook.  The food is delicious, but simple at that - you won’t find too many long, involved, technically-difficult items.  Plenty is a collection of impeccably-curated recipes centered around real foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy.  It is a vegetarian cookbook written by a carnivore – meant for those who love veggies, but perhaps are a little weirded out by tofu and seitan, and are not willing to forgo meat and fish entirely.  (It is probably not the best choice for vegans - Ottolenghi loves dairy products.)  Interesting ingredient combinations, heavy-handed helpings of fresh herbs, and a Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern focus make Plenty a must-have for anyone who digs unique flavor combinations and isn’t afraid to push the envelope a little.  And, the clearly obsessive-compulsive methodology makes this perfectionist very happy.

In the five days I’ve had Plenty, I’ve made three recipes from it, including this one for soba noodles with eggplant and mango.  Randomly enough, I had all of the ingredients for this recipe on hand on the Day of Disaster, which was the only reason why I chose to make it for dinner that night.  However, it was so good I ended up making it again on Monday.  I know it seems like nothing really goes together, but it really does work!  And it will pick you up from a bad day - guaranteed.

A couple of notes:

• This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and if made with 100% soba noodles, gluten-free.
• The recipe is very good if eaten immediately, excellent if mixed together and allowed to chill for about an hour, and pretty great still the next day.  However, the mango and eggplant in the "next-day" batch do lose some of their vibrancy, so it may be even better to add those ingredients to the mix right before serving, if you plan on eating it over a couple of days. 
• I fried the eggplant as directed (in a lot of oil) the first time I made it.  The second time, for a healthier version, I tried roasting it in the oven at 450, using only a couple of tablespoons of oil.  To be frank, it's not nearly as good, so I'd recommend frying it.  There's virtually no fat elsewhere in the recipe, so don't sweat it too much.
• The original recipe calls for sunflower oil, but that's a fancy ingredient I don't have, so I used good old canola.  Don't use olive oil - it would probably impart too much flavor on the eggplant.  And what a shame to waste olive oil on something like this, anyway.
• The second time I made it, I used all cilantro instead of cilantro and basil.  All cilantro worked just great; I didn't miss the basil too much.
• I often find that the flavor of raw onions is too potent for me, but these onions are bearable since they get tossed in the dressing.  If yours are particularly strong, you can soak them in water.

Soba noodles with eggplant and mango
Adapted, just barely, from Ottolenghi's Plenty
Serves 6

1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup canola oil
2 eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch dice
9 ounces soba noodles
2 large ripe mangoes, diced
1 1/2 cups basil leaves, chopped (or Thai basil, but use less)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1.  In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil.  Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.
2.  Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.
3.  Cook the noodles in boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente.  Drain and rinse well under running cold water.  Leave to drain again.
4.  In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, onion, and herbs.  Serve immediately or allow the flavors to mingle for an hour or so.
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how to win friends & influence people

Last weekend, I helped my friend Patti throw a barbeque.  Since I love a good kitchen project - and, let's be real, being in control - I volunteered to take charge of the sides and desserts.  Oh, and I also decided to make some jello shots - because nothing says "casual backyard barbeque" like corrupting an innocent childhood treat with massive amounts of liquor so cheap it may as well be rubbing alcohol.  Today, we're going to talk about the booze and desserts because those are the only items I have photos of.

Let's start with the shots, a logical place to begin.  These were not your standard college jello shots.  They did not come in tiny mini cups and did not require the shot-taker to do unbecoming things with his or her tongue before choking them down.  No, these were cute, innocent little shots, contained in tiny little lemon rinds.

I got the idea for the shots, of course, on Pinterest.  They were supposed to be pink lemonade, but I just used strawberry Jello.  Though adorable, the shots were kind of a pain-in-the-ass for this impatient gal.  The method is fussy.  You first cut a lemon in half; then you juice it and scoop out all of the fleshy, acidic membrane with a spoon.  Prepare the jello according to the package directions, replacing the cold water with cheap vodka (keep the boiling water as-is), and pour the Jello mix into each lemon half.  Refrigerate overnight, and then cut each half in half again (so that one lemon yields four shots.)  Don't be a dingbat like me and think that gelatin expands - it doesn't.  Feel free to fill the halves up all the way; otherwise, you'll have to trim the excess lemon peel with a paring knife.

Despite the high-maintenance preparation of these jello shots, serving them at a backyard barbeque is a good idea for a couple of reasons.  For one, it's a great way to make friends.  (Forget Dale Carnegie.  The answer is booze, people.)  The partygoers were comprised of a few of my friends, lots of Patti's friends, and some "mutuals".  By the end of the party, I knew everybody, which I will attribute 100% to the jello shots, and not my shining personality. (Fact: I have, on more on one occasion, been described as "icy".)  Just like history’s most successful pickup line is a simple, “Hey, can I buy you a drink?", studies show that the most successful way to make friends is, “Hey, want a jello shot?”  Another great thing about the lemon shots is that lemon rinds are biodegradable, so you don't even have to worry too much about the trash.

With an excess of lemon juice from hollowed-out lemon rinds, I could either drink approximately eight vodka lemonades, if that's a thing - or I could, as a more responsible alternative, make a lemon-y dessert.  I chose a lemon-blueberry cake.  But, more on that later.  First, I want to talk about this strawberry rhubarb pie.  


I had been planning to make this pie all week, at Whitney's request.  With strawberry season in full swing and rhubarb season just underway, it was a natural choice.  And since I had never actually made a pie, I thought it would be a fun project.  I am not a pie eater, which apparently I get from my mother.  (Her response to "Mom! I made a pie today!" was "Ew, why would you do that?")  Must be the Ecuador speaking.  But, you know what? I am 75% WASP - and a Virginian, on top of it all - so it's about damn time I learned how to make a proper pie.  So, I dusted off all my hand-me-down southern cookbooks and hit the interwebs for research.

Making pie from scratch isn't all that bad, just a little time-consuming.  It's a good thing I have no life, and I had a date Thursday night with a bag full of lemons, anyway.  Pie dough could easily be added to the agenda.  The recipe was, shocker, taken from smitten kitchen, and instead of reprinting it below, you can just follow the link because I followed it exactly as written.  Actually, I made a little criss-cross basket weave pattern with my upper crust instead of a solid sheet.  (The amount of dough I needed was the same, though.  I just rolled it out and cut it into long strips with a pizza cutter.)  I think those basketweaves are so very Americana, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to make the most American strawberry rhubarb pie you ever did see.  Anyway, get the pie here.  And follow the recipe for this pie crust.  Side note, I am still using my wine bottle as a rolling pin.  And it's still working.

 

Okay, now that we have that out of the way - back to the lemon-blueberry cake.  This "cake" was originally a quickbread from - again, this is getting embarrassing - smitten kitchen.  But, I am actually going to attribute the loaf to the Barefoot Contessa, because, well, it was hers originally.  Not because I think Deb, the genius behind smitten kitchen, might file an internet restraining order against me for stalking her recipes.  The good news is, I think I am getting more comfortable with baking because, guess what!  I made it my own.  I swapped ingredients without any problems and I added a sugary glaze to make it a real cake.  Of course I didn't make up the glaze - I took it from Heidi.  Because if I am going to cover a quickbread in sugar and make it a cake, I should probably do it the right way.  So there you have it, my trifecta of perfection in female food writers.  Ina, Deb, and Heidi.  I’m a creep.

Another sign that I am getting better at baking is that I actually replicated the recipe, sans disaster.  This time, I made it for a 9am meeting this week, so I omitted the glaze and called it a "loaf".  I also convinced my colleagues that it was an acceptable breakfast, since it had blueberries and yogurt and no butter in it.  Yes, I neglected to mention the whopping ONE CUP of sugar.  It's a lot, I know.  Feel free to cut back, but I think it gives a great sweetness to balance out the tart lemons.)  The photos are from the no-icing version.   

Lemon-blueberry cake
Adapted loosely from Ina Garten
Makes one 9-inch round or standard loaf pan

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup 0% Greek yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup coconut oil (you could also use canola oil)
1 1/2 cups blueberries (I used frozen but you could use fresh, too)

For the glaze (optional):
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan (you could also use a 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan).

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, almond extract and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, whisk the brown sugar and the confectioners sugar together, and slowly whisk in the lemon juice, until you achieve a glaze-like consistency. If your glaze is too runny, add more sugar. If it’s not syrupy enough, add more juice. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze over the cake. Best served warm.

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recently, in my kitchen...

This morning, I had a lovely surprise waiting for me at work.  Half of my overhead light is burned out, and the other half is flickering like a spastic strobe light.  I sat down at my desk to begin my daily dive into the world of data dumps, but I (literally) feel so nauseous that I am swearing off numbers until maintenance comes to fix it.  So while I wait, I am going to tap into my word reserve and "warm up" for my return to blogging.  This is a post without real recipes (because what little I've cooked, I haven't bothered to write down) and with minimal "photography".

I wanted to post earlier, but since Lent has ended, I’ve been on the "grilled cheese a day" plan.  Great for me, because grilled cheese is delicious and it gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling.  (God. I am so single.)  But, the grilled cheese diet isn’t just bad for my arteries or my waistline – (or my love life?  Will I ever be able to love a human the way I love grilled cheese?) – it also doesn’t make for very inspiring blog material.  Hence my absence. 

What’s that, you say?  Oh, you actually want to hear about grilled cheese?  Fine.  Blame the 40-day dearth of bread, but I just can’t get enough of these sandwiches. (Which I am calling "panini", by virtue of the fact that they're pressed on my stovetop.  Doesn't "I have had a panini every day for two weeks" sound slightly less pathetic than "I have had a grilled cheese every day for two weeks" ?)  Cheddar and tomato may be a tried and true combo, but lately I’ve been really into pressed baguettes with ricotta, asparagus, and caramelized onions, or crusty sourdough with swiss, gruyere, fig jam, and a couple thin slices of prosciutto.  I’ve also been eating a breakfasty variation at all hours of the day - fried egg, a slice of cheddar, smearing of avocado, and a healthy dose of Sriracha.  Yum.

Since I am acutely aware of the fact I cannot, no matter how much I’d like to, eat bread and cheese three times a day, I’ve had some healthier fare in rotation as well.  Luckily, Whitney asked me to give her a few tips on spicing up her brown bag lunches.  So, I’ve enjoyed playing sensei for my not-so-domestically-inclined roommate.  Right now we are concentrating on soup, and she has proved quite the eager pupil.  She now understands the fool-proof way to start any soup (onions, garlic, and a little bit of fat), the importance of a large, heavy pot, and the handiness of an immersion blender.   I am so impressed with her, and I swear, it’s almost like she knows what immense pleasure I derive from being Little Miss Bossy and teaching others “the right way” of doing things.  (After seven years of friendship and almost four years of cohabitation, how would she know such a thing?)  Last week, when we had gorgeous warm weather, we enjoyed a spin on this cold, gingery carrot soup.  (We added a couple sweet potatoes to bulk it up.)  This week, it is rainy and cold again, so we are enjoying this delicious red lentil soup.  (Made with half red lentils and half yellow split peas, instead.)  And yeah, we’re still addicted to orange things over here.

Speaking of orange things and lentils, I made an awesome salad that incorporated both, eaten alongside aforementioned carrot soup.  Hearty little brown lentils, creamy, tangy goat cheese, crunchy seeds, and spicy butternut squash.   That’s right – I finally ate my way through my stockpile of winter squashes. (It is almost May.)  So, cheers to no longer being eligible for casting in Hoarders.  I like to think that I made this salad up, but I am sure that, subconsciously, I read about it somewhere first.  A very similar one is here.

I’ve also done more than my fair share of dining out over the past few weeks.  Rasika, Scion, Shake Shack, El Centro, to name a few.  Must cook more this spring.  Also, must not fool myself into believing that I have an unlimited budget and a bottomless stomach.

Stay tuned, because I co-hosted a barbeque on Friday and over the next few days, I will be writing about some of the recipes I contributed.

Finally, now that I have no restrictions, what do you want to see made here on caramelized memoirs?  Let me know in the comments, or if you still haven't figured it out, shoot me an email.  It feels good to be back!

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friday breakfast: open-faced omelet

As you read this, I am at the beach, spending the weekend with my family.  We were supposed to be in New York with Bollie, but she had a last-minute change in her work schedule, and instead, she will be joining us here later this weekend.  Because I knew breakfast this morning would be a green smoothie in the car, I planned ahead, took one for the team, and had an omelet for dinner on Wednesday.

Thats right, eggs for dinner.  This here post is about honesty.  I'm coming clean.

And no, I am not going to admit that the entire drive down I listened to One Direction and Justin Bieber (though, frankly, that isn't that far from the truth.)  In the spirit of honesty, I only made one conscious decision to break my Lenten promise, and that was a few beers (clearly not gluten-free) on St. Patrick's Day.  Sorry.  I justified it by convincing myself it was okay since St. Patrick was also Catholic, and my buddies were in desperate need of a fourth for a flip cup tournament, and dammit, I am a really good friend who never lets people down.  And it's not like I was eating bread or pasta.  Anddd, since we're being honest, there was also an unconscious slip-up later that night that stemmed from the fact I had too many beers and not enough food.  And I felt horrible about it when I was reminded the next day.  I'm sorry, dear readers.  There were several Hail Marys at church that night.

But other than that, I've had no bread, no cupcakes, no cereal, no sugar-laden condiments.  My diet has been cleaned up quite a bit.  I feel great - though I can't honestly say whether it's the lack of gluten, the lack of sugar, or both.  I will return to eating gluten, I'm sure, but I've now seen first hand that we probably do eat way too much sugar without even realizing it, and I am going to try to restrict my sugar intake going forward.  To be clear - I will choose to eat my sugar where it matters - in desserts.  None of that sugar in salad dressings or condiments or drinks or things like that.

But, I have made and eaten everything you've seen on this blog.  That is not a lie.  And of course, there's a lot that I eat that is not on the blog.  Recipe flops.  Oatmeal.  Tons of smoothies.  Lentils and rice.  Lots of roasted vegetables and salads.  And the lazy man's meal: eggs for dinner.  But, that's the reason why I don't do a play-by-play of everything that I eat.  For one, none of you care.  And two, nobody would read because it would be pretty boring.  And there would be a lot of eggs for dinner. 

This omelet was made open faced because, since we're being honest, I'm incapable of perfectly flipping an omelet in a skillet.  Eggs are the first thing I learned how to cook - and I still can't get it right.  So I do it the easy way.  I cook my omelet in a large skillet so the omelet is thin and cooks more quickly.  I cover the pan and let the egg set, and then invert the omelet (which is almost like an eggy crepe) onto a plate.  And then I cover with the omelet fillings - or in this case, toppings.  In this case, that was some sauteed spinach, leftover caramelized onions and asparagus from steak dinner, and some cherry tomatoes.  It's an easy, fast, and nutritious breakfast.  Of course, it also makes a decent dinner.

Finally, since I don't know when I will blog again, please be sure to subscribe via email or RSS.  That way you will automatically be updated when I come your way with new delicious recipes and silly anecdotes.

Oh, and hello from my happy place.

Open-faced omelet
Serves 1

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (I used thyme and rosemary)
salt & pepper

1.  Beat together all ingredients.
2.  Heat 10-12 inch pan over medium high heat, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
3.  Pour ingredients into pan and swirl pan, if necessary, so that the egg is evenly spread throughout.
4.  Let cook 30-60 seconds, reduce heat to medium, and cover.  After another one minute, check to see if egg is completely set.  If not, continue cooking until set.
5.  When egg is done, invert onto a plate by putting a plate face-down on top of the pan and flipping it over.
6.  Put "toppings" on top of egg. Pin It Now!

a mediterranean lunch: quinoa tabbouleh and hummus

I'm kind of on a health kick this week.  (Disregard the steak I brought you yesterday.)  Maybe it was the fact that I ran in a 10-mile race on Sunday, and I wanted my endorphin high to last a few extra days.  Or maybe I was scared into taking care of myself after watching a very fat (but still very beautiful) Betty Draper on Mad Men.  Either way, I've been trying extra hard to keep my stress under control, exercise lightly, and eat right.

I can credit yoga for helping me in the first two regards, and this quinoa tabbouleh salad & hummus for the third.  I've had it for lunch every day this week.  Weird?  Probably.  Delicious?  Absolutely.

I love tabbouleh, but I usually eat smallish amounts of it as a condiment - to add a bit of zest and crunch to a pita slathered in hummus, or as a side dish to a grilled kabob.  But, I had to eschew the pita, of course, and traditional tabbouleh is made from bulgur wheat, so I opted for quinoa as a gluten-free substitute.  I bulked up the tabbouleh with some spinach so that it was substantial enough for a salad base, and cut the pieces a little bit bigger than I usually would since it was really for a "salad".  This is a great excuse to take a shortcut, by the way.  Then, I top the salad with a healthy heap of hummus and a few baby carrots for dipping. 

Hummus is one of those things that once you learn how to make, you will never buy store-bought again.  Homemade hummus is so easy, super flavorful, and much cheaper than store-bought.  Store-bought hummuses are standardized, but hummus is better when you get to call the shots.  (Or at least, for this control freak, it is.)  When making your own hummus, you get to dictate the texture - most store bought hummuses are too creamy and smooth for my taste and I don't feel satisfied after I eat them.  When you make your own, you get to call the shots.  You get to say how much olive oil and tahini to add - I hate hummuses that are too oily.  And, you can add whatever sort of ingredients you want  - make it your own.  Roasted garlic and roasted red pepper are two common flavors - but how about spinach and artichoke, white bean, edamame & ginger, pine nut & basil, or curried hummus? The variations are limitless.

Today is (technically) the last day of Lent.  (Fun fact:  Holy Friday and Holy Saturday are not counted toward the 40 day total since they are Holy Days.)  However, I'll likely stick with the gluten-free, sugar-free thing until Easter.  Tomorrow, I'll be at my happy place, so I am not sure what kind of breakfast you'll have, but I'll try my best to make it a good one.
   

Quinoa tabbouleh salad
Makes about 3 lunch salads 

For the tabbouleh salad
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch mint, chopped
2 handfuls spinach, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup feta (optional)
3/4 cup cooked quinoa (about 1/4 cup uncooked + 1/2 cup water)
For the lemon viniagrette
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 lemons, juiced and zested
salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Bring 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa and 1/2 cup water to a boil.  Cover and reduce to simmer.  Cook 15 minutes, turn off heat and let sit 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.
2.  Very finely chop herbs (without stems) and spinach.  You want the pieces to be smaller than bite-sized.
3.  Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.  Finely dice the cucumbers and red onion.
4.  Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over salad, to taste.  Toss to coat.

Roasted garlic hummus
Makes about 3 cups
 
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
2 tablespoons tahini
1-2 fresh lemons, juiced (3 or 4 tablespoons)
6 roasted garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
salt & pepper

1.  Roast your garlic cloves:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut a little bit off the top of a head of garlic and peel back the outer layers.  Spray top with olive oil spray.  Wrap in foil and roast in the oven 30-40 minutes, or until cloves are soft.
2.  Remove the roasted garlic cloves from the head of garlic by simply squeezing them out, or scooping them out with a small spoon.
3.  Combine first four ingredients in a food processor while drizzling in olive oil from above.  Start with one tablespoon and drizzle more if necessary. Process until your desired consistency - I like mine less creamy, and more textured.
2.  Add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time until the hummus has reached your desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and adjust according to taste. Pin It Now!

balsamic-marinated flank steak

When people hear about my gluten-free, sugar-free Lenten adventure, the reactions I get fall squarely into two, gender-divided camps.

One group replies with an excited, "OMG that's seriously AWESOME!  Do you feel amazing?  How much weight have you lost?!  Giving up gluten (and/or sugar) changed my life forever."

My answer goes something like, "Thank you...yes...not any substantial amount, and....it's just 40 days, not forever."

And from the other group, with a look of horror mixed with disgust, I get, "Dude, what do you eat?"

To which I say, "First of all, I'm not a dude.  Second of all, it's not that bad, you just have to be careful."

It's no mystery which group is which.  The ladies are either impressed or shocked, or at least they feign interest.  The boys, on the other hand, look at me as though my choice personally offends them.  Which is why I try not to bring it up with them at all - usually it is after someone else mentions it in casual conversation.  And aside from the Facebook and Twitter posts to keep my loyal readers informed, or if I'm turning down a cookie, I try not to talk about it unless people ask.  I learned a long time ago that generally it's not a good idea to make yourself seem more psychotic than you actually are.

With just a few days left to go, I'm entering the home stretch.  This has not been easy, but it hasn't been that difficult either.  The fact of the matter is that sugar cravings go away completely after just a few weeks.  The gluten thing is a bit harder because I like bread and pasta, but it's nothing insurmountable.  The toughest thing is just that it's so damn inconvenient.  You have to read the labels on everything looking for hidden sources of gluten and sugar.  (Even some canned diced tomatoes have sugar in them, and I've already ranted at length on condiments and "healthy cereals.")  Eating out at restaurants is nearly impossible. 

But for me, the dietary change itself hasn't been all that bad.  Of course, it's not a lifetime switch for me like it is for so many others, but if that were the case, I'd seek out gluten and sugar substitutes.  (Recall that I also told myself that I would use no sugar substitutes at all - no honey, agave, molassas, stevia, artificial sweetner, etc.  I've learned this is really unsustainable in the long-term.)  In fact, I think giving up meat last year was harder.  While it is true that I don't eat that much meat anymore and Lent 2011 had something to do with that, I don't see myself cutting back on gluten and sugar to a similar extent in the near future.  Mostly, it has just made me much more conscious about what little processed food I already eat. 
 
So, this recipe is for all the boys who think I must be subsiding solely on salads and hummus (this is me foreshadowing tomorrow's post) and for my sister.  Bollie asked me for an easy beef recipe that can be made in her tiny NYC kitchen.  When I got her request, I kinda groaned.  It's not that I don't like red meat - I absolutely, unequivocally do.  But, I hardly ever cook it, and I am really particular about the way I like it.  (Okay, so I'm really particular about most things.  But extra particular about beef.)  I like it simply seasoned and pretty close to mooing.  I love a smoky grilled steak, without much embellishment or to-do.  But I don't have a grill, and neither does Bollie.  I make a mean oven-roasted beef tenderloin, but that's a recipe for a very special occasion and a very special person. And again, neither of us have one of those.  So, a friend of mine suggested flank steak, because it is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef and it cooks easily and quickly on a stovetop, perfect for a weeknight meal.  I turned to my latest obsession, Pinterest, for further inspiration.  And of course - the same recipes kept popping up in my searches.  One was for a grilled balsamic flank steak that contained both sugar and Worcestershire (so that's out), and the other was this recipe for a Cuban-style one.

Because I couldn't decide whether to make the Cuban steak or invent my own balsamic one, I decided to do both, naturally.  I cut the flank steak down the middle and marinated each half in separate preparations.  When I got home from work, I roasted some asparagus and caramelized some onions, threw the steaks in the grill pan, and dinner was ready in 20 minutes.

Whitney and I taste-tested both recipes, and we much preferred the balsamic marinade.  Despite the bold, flavorful spices in the Cuban steak (cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, soy sauce, and lime juice), the balsamic steak had much better flavor and texture.  I think I did overcook the balsamic steak just slightly, as it was the thinner half of the flank; however, the balsamic vinegar tenderized the steak so it hardly made a difference - it was still quite tender. That's the one bad thing about flank steak - it can be tough if cooked too much. Don't sear more than five minutes per side over medium-high heat, or if you're using a meat thermometer, which is always a good idea, look for the temperature to be 135-145 for rare-medium rare. 

In hindsight, it's pretty great that the balsamic steak ended up being the bigger hit, because I know Bollie will love it.  When she was last in DC, we shared the steak sampler at Acqua al Due, a Florentine import known for its pasta (which I found to be just okay), and delectable steaks.  Our favorite steak was the balsamic filet.  Holy wow - there are no words for that steak.  We were practically fighting each other for the last bite.  Maybe next time I make my own spin on balsamic steak, I'll try making a reduction with balsamic and port to drizzle on top, just like at Acqua al Due.  Or maybe I won't - because if it is successful, there is a strong possibility that I won't eat anything else ever again.

Balsamic-marinated flank steak
Serves 4
   
1 1/2 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon Montreal Steak seasoning
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1.  Rub steak seasoning into both sides of the flank steak.  Place steak in a large ziploc bag or bowl.
2.  Whisk together ingredients for the marinade - balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and dijon mustard.  Cover steak in marinade and allow to marinate 8 hours or overnight.
3.  Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat.  Spray cooking spray on grill pan.
4.  When pan is hot, cook flank steak 3-5 minutes on each side for rare-medium rare, or until meat thermometer reaches 135-145 degrees F.  Don't cook more than 6 minutes on each side (medium) or your flank steak will be too tough. 
5.  Remove from heat; let flank steak rest on a plate at least five minutes, tented with foil.  Slice across the grain and serve. Pin It Now!

garlic shrimp & quinoa with zucchini ribbon salad

As I mentioned yesterday, Brittany and Patti came over for dinner on Friday night.  Last week, Brittany had requested a recipe with zucchini because she has recently added the squash to her (growing!) list of palatable vegetables.  As you may recall from previous stories, Brittany is not wild about veggies, though, to her credit, she has made great strides over the past two years.  I like to think my constant prodding might be a part of that.  I'm a proud mama.  We're still working on getting her to like tomatoes, but baby steps, people.

I was happy to make zucchini, but I wasn't sure how to prepare it at this time of year.  My favorite preparations for zucchini are the simple, no-fuss recipes that showcase its flavor, but those are really only appropriate at the height of the summer.  The zucchini in stores right now is not that good - if it comes from too far away, it doesn't have that perfectly fresh flavor.  And if it comes from too close, it has no flavor at all.  But, Whole Foods had some really tasty Mexican zucchini on special last week, and to my surprise, the flavor was good enough to showcase with just a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Ditto for the first heirloom tomatoes of the season (!!!) from the same source.

I decided on a simple shaved zucchini salad.  Or rather, I should actually say that I intended to make a shaved zucchini salad, but lost patience with my vegetable peeler (shocker) and just ended up cutting the zucchini into three long strips instead.  I struggled on choosing a main course - seeing as it was a Friday of Lent, our protein options were limited; Brittany does not like fish, but she does like shrimp and is beginning to foray into mussels.  She's also a big fan of quinoa.  I eventually decided on a garlicky shrimp served over quinoa.

The shrimp idea came from an hors d'oeurve I made for a "Friendsmas" holiday party.  The idea for that dish came from my favorite Spanish tapa - gambas al ajillo.  Gambas al ajillo are shrimp cooked in copious (and I do mean copious) amounts of olive oil and garlic, with a few dried red chiles thrown in there for kicks.  (See what I did there?)   But, because nobody wants to eat "garlic shrimp" at a party where they are going to be mingling with other partygoers and hoping to get caught under the mistletoe with an attractive stranger (no? was that just me?), I nicknamed the appetizer "holiday shrimp".  I'm a sneaky one.  I dialed back on the garlic and olive oil a tad and omitted the potent red chiles, opting instead for festive red & green accents via crushed red pepper* and chopped flat-leafed parsley.  It was a hit - everyone wanted the recipe and nobody seemed to care that there were disgusting amounts of garlic in there.  (That would explain why many of us are single.)  I remember Brittany and Patti both being fond of the appetizer, so it was a natural choice for our main course for the evening.

I wanted to serve the shrimp over a grain, since there's a nice liquidy broth to be soaked up, and crusty bread is not an option.  If you haven't noticed, I am also kinda sorta obsessed with quinoa.   I like quinoa with a fried egg on top, quinoa with tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, and avocado, and quinoa as a side dish.  I see you rolling your eyes.  Yeah, you and every other semi-aware, kinda-health-conscious, Yelp generation yuppie who has ever stepped foot into a grocery store.  But wait!  I liked quinoa before it was cool to like quinoa.  (#shithipsterssay)  When I was growing up, the grain of choice in our family was rice.  In Ecuador, they eat rice every day (no wonder I'm a rice person), so my mom thought it was normal to make us rice every day. (My dad, on the other hand, does not think this is normal.)  But, every once in a while, we would have quinoa, which was a huge treat.  Before America's new love affair with quinoa began, it was very difficult to find the Andean grain in the US.  My mom's friends and family would bring it from Ecuador, or she would find it in Latino food stores.  My grandmother makes an awesome quinoa soup that I still need to learn how to make.

I made this quinoa Ecuadorian-style because frankly, Americans make food unnecessarily complicated, and this is no exception.  People make a big fuss over whether or not you need to soak the quinoa or at least rinse it or maybe even wash it with mild soap.  (Okay, so I'm kidding about that last part - but sometimes I read these recipes and wonder why people adulterate their quinoa so.  It's really not a big deal.)  I also think that Americans add too much water.  A general rule of thumb for most grains is 2 parts liquid: 1 part grain, but quinoa requires a little less.  Too much water and the quinoa cooks too much, becoming too chewy.  Some people worry that you won't get a fluffy quinoa if you use less than two parts liquid, but that is why you turn off the heat and let it continue to cook, covered, and fluff it with a fork.  Of course, nothing is wrong with making quinoa with a 2:1 ratio - it's easy to remember and easy to measure.  But my way is better - just trust me.

All in all, it was a fabulous dinner with good friends, good food, and good conversation.  The recipes below probably serve four, but we were three very hungry girls, and we did have some leftovers. 

*You may notice that the shrimp picture below shows no indication of crushed red pepper.  That is because because they have sprouted legs and walked away, just like my cumin seeds.  If you have them, bring them back.
 

Garlic shrimp
A caramelized memoirs original
Serves 2-4

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large shallot (or two smaller ones), finely sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced and zested
crushed red pepper flakes 

1.  Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.  When foamy, add garlic and shallot(s), cooking 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir frequently and do not allow to brown.
2.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add shrimp and salt, cooking about five minutes.  You want the shrimp to be just barely pink.  Be careful - shrimp is easy to overcook.
3.  Transfer to serving dish and squeeze both halves of a lemon on top.  Zest the lemon over the shrimp for added flavor.  Toss to coat. 
4.  Top with a handful of chopped parsley and crushed red pepper flakes, to taste.


Ecuadorian-style quinoa
Makes 3-4 cups

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 yellow onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup chopped mint

1.  Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.  Over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until fragrant and transluscent, or about 3-5 minutes.  Of course, if you prefer, you can use one tablespoon of olive oil and omit the butter, but everything is better with a bit of butter.
3.  Add the dried quinoa and mix together with the cooked onions, stirring constantly, for a minute.  This is called "toasting" the quinoa.  It is an optional step, but it really makes it taste better, I promise.
4.  Add the water or broth and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.  Once water is absorbed, turn off heat and leave covered for five minutes.  Fluff with a fork.
5.  Transfer to serving bowl and stir in chopped mint.

Zucchini salad
A caramelized memoirs original
Serves 4
 
3 green zucchini squash, sliced into ribbons
olive oil cooking spray
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 cups spinach
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup pistachios
olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as dressing, to taste

1.  Spray grill pan with cooking spray; heat over high heat.
2.  Lay zucchini in one layer over grill pan.  Place a weighted press (or a plate or another pan) on top to weigh down the zucchini, squeezing out excess water and allowing the zucchini to get nice brown grill marks.
3.  Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of your ribbons.  I only got three ribbons width-wise out of mine because I sliced them a little thicker, so mine took about five minutes on each side.  If you cut them thinly with a vegetable peeler or mandoline, it will be only a couple of minutes.
4.  Arrange spinach on serving platter; top with zucchini strips.  Arrange wedges of tomato around the perimeter of platter.  Top with feta cheese and pistachios. Pin It Now!

over the weekend....

Happy Monday!  This post is a bit scattered - sorry.  I am literally writing it on my iPhone on the way to work because I didn't write it yesterday.  I was exhausted after running the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler and fell asleep watching TV on the sofa.  I woke up at 9pm, at which point I hobbled over into bed and promptly passed out.

Friday night Patti and Brittany came over for dinner of shrimp, quinoa, and a zucchini ribbon salad.  Recipes to come tomorrow.
 

Saturday I spent most of the day chugging water and reading.  (I read Catching Fire in a day in a half - so good!  I can't wait to get my hands on the third Hunger Games book.)  For dinner, I needed a gluten-free carboload, so, I made rice noodles stirfried in the wok with chicken breast, vegetables, and peanut sauce.

Ladies and gentlemen, my wild and crazy Saturday night:

The sauce for two servings was adapted from this stirfry recipe, with some modifications.    I made this sauce is a little bit looser than my previous peanut sauce because I wanted it to be thin enough when combined with the starchiness of the rice noodles, which has a thickening effect.  I used rice vinegar as well because I couldn't add sugar, and I actually prefered the subtle sweetness this provided.

Peanut Sauce for rice noodles
Makes enough for 2 servings of rice noodles

1/4 cup boiling hot water
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon (gluten-free) soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
minced garlic and minced ginger, to taste

1.  Boil water.  Since this amount is so small, I do it in a tea kettle, but you could probably do it in the microwave.
2.  Mince garlic and ginger over a bowl.
3.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.  Stir to combine.
4.  Add peanut butter, and whisk in hot water.

I stirfried my vegetables and chicken as usual, and then added the sauce and the noodles at the end and tossed for a minute or two. I guess you could say it was like a lazy man's, completely inauthentic pad thai. 

Sunday I ran.  The race was a lot of fun, and I especially loved this guy at mile 8.  In case you're wondering, I kept running.  No beer, and no Oreos.

Afterward, I celebrated with a long brunch at Lincoln with Brittany and Catie.  The food was nothing special, but it was a fun party brunch.  A DJ spun tunes while brunchers ate omelets and waffles and had the option of bottomless drinks.  I got the "city breakfast" - a spin on bagels and lox - which included two eggs any style, lox, pickled onions and capers, cream cheese, and a bagel.  I asked the waiter if he could bring me a starchy, gluten-free substitute for the bagel, and he happily accomodated my request.  I ended up with a greasy, flavorless hash brown, almost patty-like, but I devoured it anyway seeing as I was thisclose to chewing off my arm at that point.

Looking ahead this week, we'll have Friday night's recipes tomorrow, a steak recipe for Bollie, and a couple surprises.  Let me know if you have any requests.  (Ryan's request was that I not stop the blog....we'll see what I can do about that!) Pin It Now!

friday breakfast: oatmeal raisin cookies

For me, breakfast is usually yogurt and fruit.  Or oatmeal.  Or eggs.  Or a smoothie.

But sometimes, breakfast is leftover pizza.  Banana bread with a schmear of peanut butter.  Cookies.

(Everything in moderation.  Including moderation.)

I had to go to the office today instead of my usual work-from-home-Friday.  I know, I know.  My life is so hard.  Breakfast this morning was a very large ice coffee with almond milk (I cannot wait until I can put sweetener in my coffee again!) and a green smoothie to-go.  And, as I was unpacking and reloading my work bag, I found one cookie leftover from a batch that I took that I took to work yesterday.  So it, too, became part of my breakfast.  Yes, a cookie.  But have no fear!  It's a cookie that is so healthy, so full of good-for-you grains and healthy fats that you could eat a few of them for breakfast, and it would fall squarely in the "good" category.  It contains the perfect combination of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats to keep you satisfied all morning long.  And of course, it is gluten-free and added sugar free.

Now, before you drag your mouse to the top right corner of your screen and X out since you've already filed this under "ew gross", hear me out.  I happen to be a stickler for butter and sugar.  I don't go for "healthy desserts" - if I am supposed to be "treating" myself - I want the whole nine yards.  I want buttery, sugary goodness - flavor that is so indulgent, rich, and calorically dense that you have to stop after just a few bites.  I would rather eat one decadent cookie than several "healthy" ones that don't hit the spot.

But, when I was soliciting ideas for next week's entries (I still have a couple more spots!), Brent requested another gluten-free, sugar-free sweet treat.  And of course, there are plenty of them out there - but most contain some sort of natural sweetener (agave, maple syrup, honey, stevia, etc.) that I said from the beginning were off-limits.  And lots of them contain the gluten-free flours that, in general, I am trying to avoid.  (For one, they are expensive, and not worth the investment for someone on a temporary dietary change.  Second, I don't think they taste that good, especially without sugar.)

I checked out a couple of my favorite natural foods blogs, and found a recipe I knew would work on 101 Cookbooks.  Heidi Swanson is a vegetarian, natural foods chef, cookbook author, and blogger.  In fact, she is considered one of the preeminent food bloggers - she's been around for ages and has a well-established site that gets millions of hits per year.  I own one of her cookbooks, Super Natural Everyday, and I am obsessed with it.  I make things out of it all. the. time.  The recipes are simple and delicious, and the photography is brilliant, too.  It is a great resource for someone who is just beginning to cook, as she goes into great detail in regards to methods, technique, and process.  It might be better than How To Cook Everything.

Anyway, getting back to my point - Heidi (I like to think we're on a first-name basis) originally posted these cookies on her website, an amalgam of oats, almonds, coconut, and bananas.  And it just so happened that I had everything on hand except for the mashed bananas, so I was sold.  I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some overripe bananas, and guess what!  The checkout guy gave me the bananas for free.  Screw Safeway and their "discount" bananas that they have to bring up from the warehouse.  At Whole Foods, they are sitting right there, singles in a hanging basket, and they give them to you for free without even asking.  See, I told you it pays to be nice to grocery store employees.

So I came home, skeptically schlepped together the dough, baked them, and dutifully waited for them to cool.  I noted that they had a great texture (though they do crumble a bit if your flour isn't fine enough), and they were moist (sorry) and sweet (thanks, in no small part, to those overripe bananas).  Because I am just a home cook and not an alchemist, these cookies were not full of that saccharine, buttery goodness that you'd get from a real cookie, but still - they were great.  I took these into a meeting yesterday afternoon and they were promptly devoured by everyone around the table.  My project manager had at least four of them.  And nobody could believe they were "healthy".

I made a couple of adaptations to the original recipe.  First, no chocolate for me, so I used sundried, sugar-free raisins instead.  Second, I did not want to buy almond flour, since I don't forsee myself using it again any time soon.  I noticed that the ingredients in almond flour were simply "blanched almonds" so I just pulsed some sliced almonds in my food processor until they formed a grain-like texture.  (And Heidi told me it was okay, so I felt fine about it.)  To yield 2/3 cup of almond flour, I used about 3/4 cup of sliced almonds.  If you go this route, make sure the final product is fine, like sand.  Some of my almonds remained whole (as you can see in the picture), which was a nice textural component, but it didn't end up combining with the other ingredients as well as the almond meal/flour would have.  And don't process too much, or you will end up with almond butter.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Coconut
Adapted, just barely, from 101 Cookbooks
Makes 40 cookies

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (I used a little over 2/3 cup of sliced almonds, no salt added, pulsed to a coarse sand-like texture)
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup Thompson raisins

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
2.  In a large bowl combine the mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside.
3.  In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the raisins.  As Heidi says, "the dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it."
5.  Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. As an experiment, I flattened half the drops a little bit, using the back of my spoon.  I found the flatter, more disk-like ones were easier to pick up and eat than the round ones were.   
6.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, or as long as possible without burning the bottoms or browning the coconut.

Have a great weekend!  I am taking it easy and running in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler on Sunday.  If you have recipes you want me to make for the last week of Lent, please let me know and I will do my best to fit them in! Pin It Now!

spring new potato salad

Something really strange went down in my kitchen a couple days ago.  I made potato salad.  Nobody was holding me at gunpoint.  No picky steak-and-potatoes people were coming over for dinner.  It was entirely of my own volition.  And I liked it.

The thing is, I don't actually care for potatoes.  (In my world, there are two kinds of people - rice people and potato people.  Which one are you?)  I might eat roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary occasionally, but that's about the extent of my potato-eating desire.  I don't love French fries.  Tater tots are just okay.  I don't even really like potato chips, unless they are being used as a vessel for some sort of dip, or unless they are of the salt and vinegar variety.  But you know, the more acceptable ways of eating potatoes, I don't like those one bit.  I don't like them boiled and mashed, unless they are dressed beyond recognition with sour cream and butter.  And I hate baked potatoes - don't even get me started on baked potatoes with cheddar cheese and bacon bits.  Eww.  I will never understand why that's a thing. 

Which is why it is strange that I found myself making potato salad the other day for lunch.  As you can imagine, now that I am (almost) at the end of the Lenten season, I have a few loose odds and ends in my refrigerator.  I decided to do a big refrigerator clean-up and clean out, throwing away what was no longer good, and putting the rest in a big "cook something with this" pile.  When all was said and done, I threw out a cucumber, a bunch of parsley, half an old bell pepper, and a few ounces here and there of homemade salad dressings that smelled funky.  I saved a bunch of radishes, four scallions, and tupperware of previously-canned artichoke hearts.  So, I scanned the Internet for recipes incorporating those ingredients, and I came across one called Spring Cleaning/Potato Salad.  Funny.  The author had done the same "spring cleaning" of her refrigerator, and came up with a potato salad using the remnants.  I made a mental note to pick up some potatoes and give it a shot - otherwise, the ingredients would be headed for the trash in a couple of days.  Worst case scenario?  I'd hate it, in which case I would just give it to friends.

As much as it pains me to admit, I actually love this potato salad.  It is made with small "new potatoes" (aka baby potatoes), which are purposely harvested prematurely.  As immature potatoes, they are small, have a thin skin, and a less offensive texture and flavor than their bigger, tougher counterparts, "old potatoes".  Besides the fact that new potatoes apparently taste better than big old potatoes, this salad has a ton of other redeeming qualities - it is loaded with other vegetables and it is not doused in mayonnaise.  Though, let's be honest.  If it were, I probably wouldn't mind.  Y'all know how I love me some mayonnaise.

I made my version with green onions, artichoke hearts, and radishes sliced paper-thin.  To cut the radishes, I used my mandoline.  You could probably just use a knife if you have any semblance of dexterity and patience, but as you are probably aware, I have neither.  The original recipe calls for frozen green peas, which I don't particularly love, so I was just planning on leaving them out.  However, while the potatoes were boiling, I discovered a bag of field peas that I had frozen at the end of last summer, after my mom had found them at a farm stand in Pungo.  And after a very non-commital flirtation with the idea of adding them, I threw them in at the end.  (That's my idea of living on the edge.)  I couldn't tell what kind of field peas they were, so I called my mom to ask her how long they should cook.

"Oh, they kind of take a long time.  They're gonna need to boil for a while," she said.

By "a while", I thought she meant upward of 40 minutes, like other legumes.  Well, no joke, fifteen minutes after I hung up the phone, my kitchen started smelling like burnt popcorn, and sure enough all the water was absorbed and they were stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Luckily, they didn't taste bad (I think I caught them just in time) so I threw them in there anyway.

So yes, this is kind of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink potato salad, but it's delicious.  Add whatever you fancy, and adjust according to your tastes.  For example, my mom hates dill, but I bet chives would also be great in it.  Whatever you do, be sure not to let your potatoes boil too long.  You want them to be just barely tender - "fork tender", whatever that means.  I let mine cook for 13 minutes or so.  Transfer the potatoes to a cold ice bath immediately so they stop cooking; this also makes them easier to handle.

This recipe is great served cold or at room temperature, and it is even better the next day.  It would also be great for a late-spring outdoor barbeque.  Man, I can't wait till it's officially grilling season.  Somebody with a grill invite me over....

Spring new potato salad
Adapted very loosely from The Incuisition
Serves 4

1 pound new (baby) potatoes (I used a mix of red and yellow)
4 green onions, chopped (both green and white parts)
1 bunch radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup field peas, sugar snap peas, or frozen peas
4 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard (can use more if you want a real kick...grainy mustard would be good, too)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

1.  In a medium pot, boil potatoes until just tender, 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to ice bath and set aside.
2.  If your peas are frozen or uncooked, cover with about an inch of water and let them cook.  Depending on the variety, time will vary from a quick 1-2 minute blanch to a full cook.  Keep an eye on them.
3.  While potatoes are cooling, chop your green onions, radishes, and artichoke hearts, and dill, and combine in a large serving bowl.
4.  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
5.  Chop potatoes and add to bowl with other vegetables and herbs.  Pour dressing over salad, and toss to coat.  Top with feta cheese, if desired.  This is even better after it sits a while, and it's great the next day. Pin It Now!

pistachio-encrusted halibut

The most amazing thing happened to me the other day.

It was an 80 degree spring day in DC.  I set off for a post-work jog with my friend Travis, using our steady, "conversational" pace to sound off on my latest irritation in a seemingly endless string of white girl problems and karmic disasters. (It's not called a "conversational" pace for nothing.  And I was taking advantage of a captive audience.)  As we were rounding the Washington Monument and I was finishing the story, (and he was, more likely than not, telling me to quit whining), I found a folded twenty dollar bill on the ground.  No, really.  I stopped and said, "AND THEN I FOUND TWENTY DOLLARS!"  (Which also happens to be my favorite punch line for a terrible story.)  He couldn't believe it, and neither could I.  With the volume of tourists on the National Mall that afternoon, finding money on the Mall was even more of a rarity.  I giddily speculated that maybe my luck was finally turning around, and good karma had returned to my side once again.

Unexpectedly $20 richer, I decided to treat myself and see what kind of overpriced shenanigans were being pushed at my neighborhood Whole Foods.  A fancy cheese and a bottle of wine?  Nah - cheese needs crackers, and I am just as happy with a $10 bottle of wine as a $40 one.  And I don't need a whole bottle to myself.  A nice piece of steak?  Eh, I want a grill for that.  So I wandered over to the seafood counter and started chatting up the fishmonger.  Now, as anybody who goes to the grocery store with me will tell you, I am really friendly with grocery store employees.  Some will say unnecessarily so.  For example, one time I was buying the mini bottles of Gallo cooking wine at Safeway - I don't generally drink white wine, so the mini bottles are convenient for cooking.  I got to the checkout and the checkout girl started telling me about how much she loves the "personal bottles".  Yes, apparently she drinks them.  She wanted to know all about the party I was going to that night, and told me to be careful because people might be trying to slip a mini bottle into their purse.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was using it to make fondue.   

But, that instance aside, normally grocery store employees can be very knowledgeable and helpful, and it always pays to ask questions if you're buying something unfamiliar.  If you're sincere, not only can you get discounted bananas, but they are eager to help you pick out a good cheese or a loaf of fresh bread.  They can direct you to the right wine to make mulled wine (just buy the cheapest box, but not the "nasty stuff old people drink out of the jug").  Butchers just love helping young ladies find a proper cut of meat for whatever it is they are cooking, and they generally deliver a nice compliment along with your T-bone.  Fishmongers see the seafood come in every morning, and they know what is the freshest, the tastiest, and the most in-demand.  This fishmonger sold me on a nice piece of halibut.  He just went on and on about the damn fish for a good five minutes.  About how halibut season has just started up in Alaska, and this was the first shipment of the season.  About how it came in that morning and how its eyes were just bulging out and looking him right in the mug.  (TMI?  Apparently that's the sign of a super-fresh fish.)  About how his knife slid through it like butter when he was cutting it into filets.  Now, I love halibut, but I never buy it because it is prohibitively expensive.  $24 a pound is just ridiculous - who eats this stuff, anyway?  Luckily, Whole Foods was running a special on halibut ($16/pound) to welcome the season, so I went ahead and splurged - I bought myself a whole pound, enough for three good-sized filets.

With my first filet, I made a quick dinner that I saw in April's Cooking Light.  As I cannot have breaded fish, I had been on the lookout for an encrusted fish recipe that did not contain any gluten or sugar.  This recipe, which originally called for hazelnuts, fit the bill.  However, I used pistachios instead, as it was what I had on hand, and I am not wild about hazelnuts in the first place.  But y'all.....this fish was so tasty.  Halibut is slightly sweet, so the salty, nutty crust is a nice addition.  However, this fish was such high quality, so delicious, it melted in your mouth and flaked into pieces with the mere touch of a fork.  For my next filet, I am just going to poach it in some white wine or broth with a bit of lemon - it really doesn't need much.  My fishmonger friend was right - it was really an incredible piece of fish.      

So today you have two morals to my story.  Moral #1: Always be nice to grocery store employees, especially the butchers and the fish mongers.  They can sell you a great piece of meat or fish.  Moral #2: Money may not grow on trees, but apparently it sprouts out from concrete.  And Travis, I guess I owe you a beer after our race on Sunday...it's the least I can do.

Pistachio-encrusted halibut with roasted asparagus
Adapted from Cooking Light (April 2012)
Serves 1

for the fish
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 six-ounce halibut filet, skinned
2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
salt & pepper, to taste

for the asparagus
1 garlic  
1 handful of asparagus spears, maybe 6 
Cooking spray (olive oil preferred, I use a misto) 
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
2 thin slices lemon


1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2.  Brush tops of filets with olive oil and sprinkle both sides evenly with pinches of salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Press the top of the filet onto a plate of chopped pistachios, pressing gently to adhere.
3.  Heat butter in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Place fish, nuts side down, in the skillet. (Alternatively, you could use olive oil or cooking spray, but I like the added richness from the butter.  It's not that much, anyway.)  Cook three minutes, or until browned.  Turn fish over gently and cook four minutes, or until desired doneness.
4.  Meanwhile, spray asparagus with cooking spray and toss with garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Lay two thin slices of lemon atop the asparagus.  Roast on 400 for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Pin It Now!

beet & beet green chopped salad

You must think I am on some kind of "you will eat your beets and you will like them" war path.  I just browsed through my labels and I noticed there is a pretty high ratio of beet recipes to everything else.  Almost as high as butternut squash or brussels sprouts.  The thing is, I kinda love the beet.  I mean, it's a hot pink vegetable, so that should come as no surprise.

To see my original love story to the beet, read this entry from last year.  If you're new to beets, just try roasting them and topping with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper or eating them on a simple salad of watercress or arugula and goat cheese.  A few months ago, I volunteered at a dinner fundraiser in which the uber-talented Barton Seaver cooked up six delicious courses for the benefit of two laudable DC charities, DC Central Kitchen and Martha's Table.  One course was a deconstructed roasted vegetable salad, with a beet perched atop a goat cheese puree, which was emulsified with olive oil, and ostensibly, crack cocaine.  Seriously, I could barely prevent myself from spooning the puree into my mouth directly from the container.  He gave me the leftover beets and goat cheese, and I ate them together for a solid week.  It has now become my favorite combination.

But since I've OD'ed on cheese, I decided to eat my beets in a vegan salad.  But really though, before you womp-womp me, this is a great salad.  Doesn't it look like something you would get at Sweetgreen?  It serves up to six as a side, or three as a lunch salad or even a light dinner.  In fact, I ate it last night for dinner and was really surprised at how satisfying and filling it was.  And it is absolutely gorgeous - the pictures don't do it justice.  It looks like someone splattered pink paint across a lush spring meadow.  If I ever open up a sandwich and salad joint, this is definitely going on the menu.  I'd call it "The Beetnik".

I adapted the original recipe as follows -

• I added spinach to mellow the flavor of straight beet greens.  Beet greens are not for everyone....they are a little bitter and need a sweeter, more delicate green to balance out the flavor.  They are also slightly coarse, so it helps to toss the greens in a little bit of the dressing before mixing the salad.  The extra time "marinating"  allows the greens to soften.
• I added golden beets to the mix for the slight flavor contrast and to add more pretty color.  I am still fighting my addiction to orange things.
• I used pistachios instead of sunflower seeds because it was what I had.  I liked it a lot.
• I omitted the agave from the dressing.  Honestly, it could have used a bit of sweetness, so don't omit it if you aren't insane like me.  Sacrifices.

Finally, an important PSA!  I've planned out the posts for tomorrow and Thursday already (duh), but I am accepting suggestions for my last 4-5 recipes!  Bollie already requested some sort of steak that can be cooked in a grill pan or in the oven, so that's on my radar.  If any of you have any other ideas, please e-mail me!  (I've long since stopped begging for comments since Blogger won't let anyone do so without blowing up their computer or sacrificing their first born.)  Otherwise you will continue to get weird stuff that I like to eat, like beets.

Beet & Beet Green Chopped Salad
Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
Serves 3-6

for the salad
1 bunch of red beets, including fresh looking greens
1 bunch of golden beets
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 scallions, white and light green parts
1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
1 small avocado, diced
1/3 cup pistachios

for the tahini dressing
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water, more as needed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Cut the greens from the beets at their stem and individually wrap the beets in aluminum foil.  Place on a baking sheet in the middle oven rack and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.  Set them aside to cool.
2.  While the beets roast, rinse and dry the beet greens. Discard the long red stems and any parts of the leaf that look bad.  Chop the greens and put them in a large mixing bowl with rinsed and chopped baby spinach.
3.  To prepare the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, and water. Mix in the garlic, hearty pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add more water if you prefer it thinner. Mix in the chives. Adjust to your taste and set aside.  (The dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple weeks.)
4.  Coat the greens in a little bit of the dressing and let sit for 10 minutes.
5.  Once the beets are cool enough to touch, you should be able to just push the skin off with your fingers. Dice the peeled beets. Thinly slice the scallions. Add the beets, scallions, quinoa and avocado to the mixing bowl with the dressed greens and add more dressing.  (note: the salad will turn pink from the beets. If this bothers you, you can toss everything without the diced beets, and sprinkle them on top). Sprinkle in the pistachios and give it one more toss. Pin It Now!