Arugula Salad with Pear and Fennel

Sunday mornings.

In my dream world Sunday mornings go a little something like this:

Wake up without being dragged out of bed by my two dogs. 
Drink copious amounts of tea while preparing a huge brunch.. you know pancakes, french toast, eggs or something else decadent that will sit in my gut like a rock until dinner time. 
Then... I would sprawl out on my bed, read the New York Times and start drinking mimosas when the clock strikes noon (Don't judge... at least I wait 'till noon). 

Real life:

Wake up to the sound of dogs whining like they haven't eaten in weeks. Roll out of bed, trip on something, swear loudly.
Make some tea while feeding the dogs.. decide to take them for a long walk so I don't feel guilty if I don't leave the house the rest of the day.
Get harrased by my neighbor for letting my dogs poop in front of his house despite the fact I pick it up. Attempt to NOT go off on him, which rarely happens.
Come back inside. Drink my tea while trying to keep my dogs from humping each other (I told you... real life). Start to get hungry, then realize I have nothing to eat for breakfast in the house despite the fact I dropped $75 at the grocery store the day before.  You know.. on vitamins, flax oil and fancy salt. The necessities.
Think about eating popcorn and a drinking a beer at 10:30 a.m.
Decide I should eat something healthy to counteract all the martinis I had last night.. you know.. like a salad.
Pray that I have something I can throw together in less than 10 minutes.

Pull out some arugula, half a bulb of fennel and a bosc pear. Chop, chop, chop.

Make a quick dressing. Shake, shake.

Enjoy my salad while watching old episodes of real housewives of Atlanta, wishing I had some champagne to wash it down.

Arugula Salad with Pear and Fennel (serves 1-2)

This makes a great first course salad. If you are looking to make it a bit more substantial I think adding some shaved parmesan and a handful of roasted almonds would be amazing.


4 oz. Baby arugula (a couple large handfuls)
1 bosc pear, cored and sliced into thin pieces
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thin
Shaved parmesan cheese (optional)
Roasted almonds, rough chopped (optional)

Simple champagne vinaigrette (this may make a bit more than you need, but keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days)

2 T. champagne vinegar
1 t. stoneground mustard
1 1/2 t. honey
1 T. minced shallot
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a small glass jar and shake it up.

Place arugula in a large bowl, add some dressing and toss to combine.  Transfer to a plate.  Add the fennel and pear to the bowl, toss with some dressing and pile on top of the arugula. Top with a little more dressing and some fresh cracked pepper.  If you're feeling naughty top with some shaved parmesan and chopped roasted almonds.

Summer Rolls

As soon as temperatures rise above 70 degrees, I eat summer rolls like it's my job.

Really.

After over indulging in rich, comfort food all winter long, I feel the need for a little cleansing of sorts. That usually involves eating my weight in asparagus, drinking lots of fresh juice and preparing some variation of summer rolls at least three times a week.

The great thing about summer rolls is they are cheap, healthy and you can fill them with whatever you have kickin' around in your fridge and it's an easy and tasty way to incorporate more raw vegetables into your diet.

This time around I filled them with some shredded carrot, red bell pepper, pea shoots, smoked tofu, cilantro and some ginger onion paste. 

But, really.. you could stuff 'em with lots of goodies.

Some of my favorites are:

cabbage (red or white)
lettuce (butter lettuce, romaine or leaf lettuce)
avocado
sprouts
mango
cucumber
red bell pepper
carrot
tofu
tempeh
fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, chives, scallion)

A peanut sauce is fantastic with these, but you could also spread the inside with a thin layer of hummus or other bean dip or a nut/seed pate.

Get creative!

Once you get the hang of it, making summer rolls is easy peasy.  The most time consuming part is prepping all the ingredients.  The actual rolling takes about 20 seconds, kind of like making a burrito.  Also, don't be discouraged if your first few look a little wonky, they will still taste delicious!

Summer Rolls  (makes 8 large rolls)

8 rice paper wraps
1 1/2 oz. vermacelli noodles (aka rice stick noodles), soaked and drained
1 c. shredded carrot
1/2 large red bell pepper, julliened
1 c. cilantro leaves
2 large handfulls of pea shoots
6 oz. baked tofu, cut into matchsticks

ginger onion paste (adapted from this recipe at 101 cookbooks)

2 scallions, sliced
2 shallots, diced
3" piece ginger, grated
1/2 t. fine grain sea salt]
5 T. sunflower oil

Place scallion and ginger in a food  processor with the salt and pulse to make a rough paste. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When the oil is warm (not hot) add the onion/ginger mixture and heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small container. (the paste can be made a day or two in advance, stored in an airtight container in the fridge)

Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Add the rice stick noodles, remove from heat and allow them to soak for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.
Fill a large bowl (big enough to fit your spring roll wrappers) with warm water.
Place one of the wrappers in the warm water for 10 seconds. Remove and place on a cutting board, carefully stretching it out to make a round shape.  Working quickly, place 1- 1/2 t. of the ginger/onion paste (drain off as much oil as possible) in the middle of the wrapper. Pile on a small handful of pea shoots, followed by a small amount (1-2 T.) of rice noodles, carrots, 2-3 bell pepper strips and 3-4 pieces of tofu, and 5-6 cilantro leaves.
Fold the bottom over the filling, fold in the sides and continue to roll.  When you are done it should look like a mini burrito. 
Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
When ready to serve, cut in half and serve as is or with your favorite dipping sauce.  Scroll down this page to find the sauce I used here.

Savory Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies. I'm not talking chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin here.

I'm talking cookies chocked full of rolled oats, fresh grated pecorino romano, rosemary and olive oil, topped with sprinkling of flaky, melt on your tongue, maldon salt.

THAT is what I'm talking about.

Enjoy 'em with some tea for a savory breakfast. 

Serve 'em at your next cocktail party with some cheese, nuts and olives.

OR..

Just eat 'em straight up!

Savory Oatmeal Cookies (makes 18 cookies)
From The Kitchn

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Flakey sea salt such as Maldon or fleur de sel

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Place the oats in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the water over them.
In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, brown sugar and egg. Pour this mixture over the oats, stir to combine, and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, fine sea salt, baking soda, rosemary, and black pepper. Whisk to combine well. Stir in the Parmesan.
Gradually sprinkle the flour mixture over the oat mixture, stirring until combined.
Form 1 tablespoon size scoops of batter and place, evenly spaced on a parchment paper or baking mat-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each piece of dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Use your hands to form an even disk. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are slightly darkened.
Remove to a cooling rack.

Fava Bean Croquettes

For the first time in 31 years I had me some fava beans.

I love beans in all forms, but have always avoided this one. Why, you ask?

So...... Fava beans remind of that crazy scary movie, Silence of the Lambs and everytime I think of Anthony Hopkins feasting on fava beans and some random dude's liver with a little chianti, I tend to.. I don't know... lose my appetite.  I've also never been a fan of chianti for the same reason.

Then, one day I was thumbing through one of my new cookbooks, Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, and the recipe for fava bean burgers caught my eye.  Packed with potato, spinach, fava beans, some spices and a little bit of egg and breadcrumb, these sounded like something I could eat without having flashbacks of scary movies from my childhood.

I had a bit of difficulty finding fava beans, since they are more of a springtime crop, but ended up scoring some frozen ones at the Asian market. They were also skinned which made the prep work alot less labor intensive.

Turns out they weren't so scary afterall. They actually tasted similar to edamame but had a creamier texture. In fact, if you have a difficult time finding favas, I think edamame would be a great substitution.

Lastly, Ottelenghi named these "burgers" in his cookbook.  They have a pretty creamy texture and wouldn't really work as a burger patty, so I called 'em croquettes instead.  I whipped up a quick lemon tahini sauce to accompany the croquettes, served alongside a simple arugula salad.  You could also serve them with a little sour cream, greek yogurt or a couple of lemon wedges to keep it simple.

Fava Bean Burgers  (Serves 4)

3/4 tsp. cumin seeds
3/4 t. coriander seeds
3/4 t. fennel seeds
1/2 lb. (about 6 cups) spinach
3 T. olive oil
1 lb. (about 3 cups) shelled fava beans (fresh or frozen)
3/4 lb. potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
1/2 fresh green chile, seeded and finely diced (I used a whole, seeded jalapeno)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 t. turmeric
salt and pepper
3 T. chopped cilantro
6 T. dried breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 c. sunflower (or other neutral oil)


Put the whole seeds in a pan and dry roast over high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until they start releasing their aromas. Grind to a powder in a mortar and pestke and set aside (I used a spice grinder)
Wilt the spinach in a hot pan with 1 T. of the olive oil. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out any liquid, then chop roughly and set aside.
Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for about a minute, drain and refresh under cold water under cold water. When cool enough to handle remove and discard the skins.
Cook potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and tip into a large mixing bowl. Immediately add the fava beans, crushed seeds, chile, garlic, turmeric, remaining 2 T. olive oil and some salt and pepper. Ise a potato masher to mash it all up roughly; don't worry if some beans are not totally crushed. Next, add the wilted spinach, chopped cilantro and breadcrumbs. Lastly, mix in the egg.
Wet your hands and shape the mix into fat patties that are roughly 2 inches in diameter and 3/4 inches thick. Chill them for at least 1/2 hour.
To cook, heat up the sunflower oil and fry the burgers on high heat for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Serve hot with lemon wedges or your favorite condiment or dipping sauce.

Roasted Beet Salad

It's cold and blustery and snowflakes are in the air.

My choice of dinner plans probably wasn't the most logical given the weather outside, but then again, when do I ever think logically about anything.

As much as I love vegetables, I'm really not much of a salad person. Unless, of course, it contains lots of croutons and cheese, with super fresh greens and a nice homemade vinaigrette.  Then... I'm game.

The greens at the farmers market are my top pick when making a big 'ol salad. This week they were calling my name. They're on the pricy side, but there is no comparison when it comes to freshness and flavor.  I snagged some arugula and pea shoots from Little Seed Gardens.  Pea shoots are pretty much one of the best things ever. So good.

I picked up a fresh baguette and made some croutons for crunch.

Beets made an appearance too. Roasting 'em is the way to go!

A simple vinaigrette and a little cheese is all you need to complete this delicious salad.

Don't be put off by all the steps. If you prep everything while your beets are roasting, this salad comes together in no time.  The beets, vinaigrette and croutons can also be made a day ahead and thrown together the next day for a quick salad.

Roasted Beet Salad (Makes 2 HUGE salads or 4 side salads)

Roasted Beets

1 lb. red beets, scrubbed clean. (I used about 8 small beets. The smaller ones cook alot faster too!)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the beets in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Fold up the sides of the foil to make a little package. Place the sheetpan in the oven and roast until you can easily pierce your beets with a knife. This can take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on the size of your beets. I usually check them in 20 minute intervals. When beets are done, set aside until cool enough to handle. The skins should slide off easily, if not, a small paring knife can be used. Once the beets are peeled, cut into 1" cubes and set aside. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees to make the croutons.

Croutons

1/3 of a baguette, cut into 1/2" cubes (about 4 c.)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. sea salt

Make sure the oven is at 400 degrees. Place the olive oil, garlic, lemon, thyme, olive oil and sea salt in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Place the croutons in a bowl, pour the dressing on top and toss well to coat. Spread the croutons on a sheet pan and bake for 12-14 minutes until light brown.

Champagne Vinaigrette

2 T. champagne vinegar
1 t. dijon
1 1/2 t. honey
1 T. minced shallot
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place all the ingredients in a small glass jar and shake the crap out of it for 10 seconds.

Now.... the assembly.

Place some arugula (or other salad green) and pea shoots (if using) in a large bowl, and toss with some of the dressing. Transfer your greens to a plate, and then toss some of the beets with a little dressing. Pile beets on the greens and top with croutons and a sprinkling of feta or goat cheese.

Miso Udon Soup

Sometimes there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of piping hot miso soup. 

Miso is a paste made from soybeans, sea salt, koji (a mold starter) and is sometimes mixed with barley, rice or other grains. It is allowed to ferment from three months to three years, which produces an enzyme rich food. Miso is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids. It aids in digestion and contains beneficial probiotics. It is also high in vitamin B12, protects against radiation, boosts immunity, lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of developing breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.

Add some vegetables, mushrooms, a little tofu and some udon noodles and you got yourself a nutrient dense bowl of deliciousness.

You can adapt this recipe to whatever you have on hand.  Sometimes I'll leave out the tofu or udon and pack it full of vegetables like carrot, daikon radish, kale, snowpeas, mung bean sprouts and mushrooms. Seaweeds, like arame or wakame are great and pack a huge nutritional punch. I prefer a lighter miso, like chickpea or mellow white, but when there are so many varieties, why limit yourself to just one?
Get creative and experiment!


Miso Udon Soup (makes one biiiiig bowl)
* the amounts here are all rough estimates. Use as little or as much of each ingredient depending on personal preference.

3 c. water
2 T. miso
1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 c. tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2-1 oz. udon noodles
3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 scallions, sliced
2 handfuls of baby spinach
crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
chili-sesame oil or toasted sesame oil (opt)

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add udon noodles and cook until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
Place the water, grated ginger and garlic in the same pot you cooked your noodles in.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the tofu. Let simmer 2-3 minutes.  Put the miso in a small bowl. Ladel 1/2 c. of simmering water into the bowl with the miso and whisk until combined. Add the miso back into the pot and add the shiitake mushrooms. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to let the soup boil (it will kill off all of the beneficial bacteria and nutrients in the miso). Remove from the heat, add the spinach and let sit for a minute to wilt.  When ready to serve, place the udon noodles in the bottom of your biggest soup bowl. Pour the miso soup on top and garnish with scallions.  Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of chili-sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil), if desired.

Oatmeal Chia Chocolate Balls

It's 8:27 p.m.
You are craving chocolate (more specifically, chocolate chip cookies) like nobodys business.

Option number 1:  Throw on several layers of clothes (hey, it's cold out there) and haul ass to the grocery store, only to lose your parking spot, having to park four blocks away upon your return.

Option number 2: Beg your significant other or housemate to go the store for you. Bribe them.

Option number 3: Peel your butt of the couch and make these oatmeal chia chocolate balls! They take around 10 minutes from start to finish and are loads healthier than eating the real deal.

I'm not going to lie and say these taste like chocolate chip cookies, 'cause they don't. If you are expecting a sugar/white flour/butter bomb (which I do love on occasion) then these aren't for you.

But... if you are looking for something quick to satisfy that sweet tooth, that is actually healthy for you, and isn't a piece of fruit, then these are the treats for you!


Let's talk superfoods.

We've got dates, oats, raw cacao, chia seeds and some lucuma powder.

Dates are a great source of fiber and contain high amounts of potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins. They are also a great natural source of energy as they have natural food based sugar like glucose, sucrose and fructose, making them perfect when you need a quick boost without the crash.

Oats help to lower cholesterol, boost immuinity and help stabilize blood sugar. They contains loads of soluble fiber and contain high amounts of vitamin E, zinc, selenium, iron and magnesium and have a good amount of protein. Now you know why you start your day with a bowl of oatmeal!

Raw cacao (unprocessed chocolate) contains high amounts of anti-oxidants and is one of the best sources of magnesium (which happens to be the most deficient mineral in the diet of modern cultures. Magnesium helps to relax muscles, improve digestion and is benefical to the heart and cardiovascular system. Chocolate gets a bad reputation for causing weight gain, cavities and diabetes, which only occurs when you add dairy, sugar and other fillers.  Chocolate in it's unprocessed form, however can help you LOSE weight (because of it's high chromium content) prevent cavities (theobromine actually kills one of the strains of bacteria that causes tooth decay) and can regulate blood sugar (again, due to the chromium content) which is beneficial for diabetes.

Chia seeds (ch-ch-ch chia) are the best source of omega 3 fatty acids with high amounts of calcium, protein, fiber, antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals. They help improve stamina, digestion and help reduce cravings because of their high levels of soluble fiber.

Lucuma powder is made from the subtropical fruit of the pouteria lucuma tree native to Peru and Equador. It has a sweet, almost butterscoth like flavor and is high in calcium, magnesium and potassium and iron. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps boost immunity.



Oatmeal Chia Chocolate Bites (makes 8 balls, or 16 little bites)
Adapted from Tasty-yummies


6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/4 c. oats
1/3 c. raw cacao nibs
1 T. chia seeds
1/2 t. lucuma powder (optional)
2 T. honey
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1-2 T. water (if needed)


Place the pitted chopped dates in the food processor with 1 T. water and the vanilla extract and process to create a uniform paste, scraping down the sides, as needed. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a bit more water.
Add 1 c. of the oats, chia seeds, honey, and lucuma (if using) and process until combined. Add the raw cacao nibs and the remaining 1/4 c. oats and pulse to combine. If the dough seems too dry, add a bit more water. If it's too goopy add a bit more oats.


Roll mixture into balls with the palms of your hands (I used 1 T. for the small bites and 2 T. for the larger ones). Allow them to chill for 20 minutes in the frige before digging in.
Store in an airtight container for up five days in the refigerator.

Easy.

Now go and satisfy that craving with zero effort and zero guilt.