The deep reds, oranges, and golden yellows of the leaves signal the start of the Holiday season and summon the urge to be seek coziness and warm comfort foods, while visions of Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas parties dance in our heads.The time has come, and this year I greet the Holiday season with fresh determination to present our loved ones with flavorful, vegetable based dishes. As I've said before, squash is to Fall as tomatoes are to Summer. Which means I try to fit squash into everything we are eating, from stews, soups, chilis, pastas, salads, you name it.
Autumn Vegetable Salad
I love squash. Squash squash squash. Squash is the tomato of Fall. Don't you think??? Squash is also one of the main ingredients in a dish I recently had at Spoon and Stable. The Autumn Vegetable Salad. Which I haven't stopped thinking about since.
Pictures this: spelt berries, roasted squash, sliced figs, sprinkled with pecans, all on top of a buttermilk ranch drizzle. A pleasant conglomeration of textures and tastes.
Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with Microgreens
This is the easiest, most delicious way to make homemade pasta. Trust me. I've tried many recipes and most of them call for fancy pasta driers/tools or use a sack of flour. Or, in most cases, have left me with gummy, bloated, wormlike strings and dinner at 10:00 pm.
I had 3 issues to solve. The recipe needed to consider the following things:
- Easy ingredient list
- No frills preparation
- Successful cooking method
Spinach and Chickpea Cazuela
As soon as we got back home from our travels, I hit the kitchen. The first recipe recreation I'd like to share is the Spinach and Chickpea Cazuela we had at Barcelona Wine Bar. With fall just around the corner, this is the PERFECT side to serve as a snack, appetizer, or side dish. It is warm, filling, and the cumin adds a smokey flavor. The roasted garlic and shallot contributes a sweet flavor that definitely plays well with the savory taste of cumin. There are only about nine ingredients involved (not including, water, salt, and pepper!). Most of them are pantry staples, so you probably have them all in your house right now! Except for the cumin seeds, maybe!
BOSTON - Our Arrival + Theatrics of Clover
Our friend and host, Salah, took us to a 24 hour vegetarian restaurant called Clover. Everything except for the ketchup and mayonnaise is home made and locally sourced. They purchase ingredients from farmers who cultivate the soil with a goal of producing delicious vegetables. Their motto is to keep things simple and to stand on the foundation of fantastic ingredients. Clover boasts of their turn around times at an average of 3.5 minutes per order, slower than McDonalds, they say, but they still consider themselves 'fast-food'. My kind of place! It is also open 24 hours, I believe, and sits in a college heavy area, making it a great late night stop post-bar. Which also means crazy antics are highly probable...
TACO TUESDAY - Homemade Healthier Tortillas
A couple of years ago, I did an internship with a health club in Minneapolis. I assisted with a twelve week program that provided a group of clients (about 25 - 30) with nutrition advice and 6:00 am workouts six days a week. I left my house by 5:00 am to get there on time, which means I woke up between 4:00 - 4:30 am every day. The quickest, most filling breakfast I could make, was a tortilla with egg whites, and maybe beans if I had enough time to open a can. My mouth is drier than the sahara desert just thinking about them. I cannot eat store bought tortillas. I hate the way they smell, taste, and last for years in the fridge. Even when they're slathered with peanut butter, I just can't do it.
I knew the solution was to make my own, but I was deterred for about 3 years by the fact that every single recipe I looked at involved lard or shortening. It took a couple months, but I finally developed a recipe and cooking method that works perfectly!
Blue Corn Cakes Topped with Avocado and Herby Heirloom Tomatoes
This summer, our favorite thing to eat is Grilled Romaine and Grilled Pizza. Last summer it was Grilled Panzanella, and the summer before that, it was Corncakes with Tomato Salsa. I recently made these, and we remembered how much we L O V E D them, that and it is the perfect 'cold' dish to serve during the heat of the summer!
Four great things about this dish: 1) it can be served as an appetizer or as a side, 2) it can be served cold, 3) it utilizes delicious heirloom tomatoes, 4) it harks back to traditional southern cuisine, but in a healthy way.
Heirloom Tomato, Beet, Avocado Cold Summer Salad
It took me a couple of years to acclimate to Nashville summers. No t-shirts (if you sweat as much as I do...), God help us, NO gray, breathable fabrics only, no pants EVER, you get the idea. One night before dinner time, I asked P to research exactly this: 'cold summer vegetable recipes' and 'cold dinners for hot summer days'. We didn't really find much that could be ready super quick. (Sometimes I wait until I absolutely MUST eat within minutes, and that kind of limits things.)
Red, White, & Blue - #3: Grilled Romaine
In addition to the 4th of July, it is also my 6th 4th of July here in Nashville, and my 4 month anniversary with Grilled Romaine, which I thought would be the perfect third addition to my Red, White, and Blue series. Grilled Romaine is divine. It has a slightly smokey flavor and remains fairly crispy after the grilling process. The olive oil, salt, and black pepper act as a sort of frosting. The granny smith apple matchsticks add an additional crisp, and for those who eat meat, the pancetta is a delightful salty addition.
Red White & Blue #1: Ode to Grilled Pizza
ODE TO GRILLED PIZZA
Roses are red, violets are blue, all day long I think about you.
The way the mozzarella melts so evenly, it fills every crevice just so evenly.
Your ever so crispy crust, makes my heart want to bust.
First thing in the morning, and late into the night, I just can't wait until my next bite!!!