Pickled Grapes? and a salad…

Posted on November 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

New magazine, new recipe. A recent one I ripped out of Bon Appetit just had to be tested…Radicchio Salad with Pickled Grapes and Goat Cheese. What the heck do pickled grapes taste like? And it was interesting when reading through the recipe because you use black vs. red grapes.

Ingredients

½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 star anise pods (great to get in bulk, they didn’t even weigh anything, they wouldn’t even charge me at Whole Foods)
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided
1 cup seedless black grapes, halved if large
8 cups torn or sliced Treviso and/or Chioggia radicchio
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup unsalted, roasted almonds, chopped
2 ounces aged goat cheese, crumbled (about ⅓ cup) (yeah, lactose free)

Prep

-Combine vinegar, sugar, star anise, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. orange juice, and ¼ cup water in a medium bowl or glass jar; stir (or cover and shake) until sugar and salt dissolve. Add grapes and let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.
-Toss radicchio in a large bowl with oil, 3 Tbsp. strained pickling liquid, and remaining 1 Tbsp. orange juice; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter and scatter drained pickled grapes, almonds, and goat cheese over top.

This was pretty simple to make and had some great flavors, as well as being so fresh! Would be nice over the holidays. Enjoy.

Do Ahead: Grapes can be pickled 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Kale and Garlic = Perfect Match

Posted on September 12, 2015 by melsmosaic

As usual, flipping through food magazines looking for recipes. I now tear out the recipes that look good vs. dog-earring them. I then clip them on the baker’s rack in my kitchen and have to make them. So part of last night’s dinner was Kale Salad with Garlicky Panko from Food & Wine. Hmmm…kale, delicious and garlic, delicious X2.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 cup panko (Trader Joe’s has great stuff)
Kosher salt & Pepper
1 bunch curly kale (I was lazy and grabbed the bag of stuff from Trader Joe’s — can you tell where I shop?)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (the blocks of stuff from Trader Joe’s are great, and real Feta is from sheep’s milk so lactards can eat it safely)
6 fried eggs (optional) — I threw some shrimp on top vs eggs

Preparation

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the panko and cook, stirring, until golden and crisp, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate to cool.
Cut the stems from the kale and tear the leaves into pieces. In a bowl, whisk the vinegar with the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the kale; massage with the dressing using your fingers. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Transfer to a platter, top with the feta, garlic panko and fried eggs, if using, and serve.

I could not stop eating this stuff!!! The slight bit of saltiness from the feta, the garlic in the crispy breadcrumbs. WOW WOW WOW. Try this! You will not be disappointed.

You can shave more than just legs or seconds off your race time…

Posted on August 2, 2015 by melsmosaic

…and what are you thinking? Well, I have zucchini and yellow squash in my mind! Saw another great recipe in Bon Appetit that I had to make recently…Shaved Zucchini Salad with Macadamia Nuts.

Ingredients (with some other speedbumps)

-1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I forgot to get a lemon so didn’t have the prior, but had to backup of Penzey’s dried stuff)
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-1 teaspoon honey
-1 teaspoon soy sauce
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1½ pounds mixed zucchini and summer squash, thinly sliced
-2 cups baby sorrel leaves or other small greens (Whole Foods had no sorrel so I went for arugula, which I LOVE anyway. And after I bought the bag of arugula vs the plastic box that I normally get, the next day I noticed there is no nutritional info on there. On the same size packaging at Trader Joe’s they have the info. Pure curiosity, what dictates fresh packaged produced needing that labeling? I couldn’t find an easy answer on the FDA website)
-3 tablespoons unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
-½ ounce Parmesan, finely grated (I cut this out because of my lactose intolerance)
-⅓ cup unsalted, roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped (Whole Foods didn’t have a macadamia nut in sight. I opted for pine nuts)

Directions

Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, mustard, honey, and soy sauce in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini and squash, sorrel, and pumpkin seeds and toss to combine. Serve salad topped with Parmesan, macadamia nuts, and more pepper.

Another great recipe. Lots of flavor, the pine nuts definitely delivered and the arugula delivered a punch, too. Bring on salad!

Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad

Posted on May 7, 2015 by melsmosaic

Keep finding recipes I have to try. This one was from the January issue of Bon Appetit but was far too perfect for May — Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad. Some sweet, some sour, some heavenly avocado…

Ingredients

1 blood or Valencia orange, sliced 1/8″ thick, seeds removed (I can never find either of these…went with Navel)
1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced 1/8″ thick, seeds removed
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh Meyer or regular lemon juice (I went with bottled)
1 bunch watercress or arugula, thick stems trimmed (love arugula!!!!)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 avocado, cut into wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss orange and lemon slices with 1 tablespoon oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.

Roast citrus, tossing occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and starting to caramelize, 10-15 minutes. This makes the citrus flavor more complex. Let cool.

Meanwhile, combine onion and lemon juice in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper and let sit 5 minutes (onion will soften a bit and get slightly sweeter and less harsh).

Add roasted citrus to bowl with onion along with arugula and mint. Drizzle remaining 3 tablespoons oil over; season with salt and pepper and toss everything to combine and coat.
Add avocado and very gently toss until lightly dressed (you don’t want to crush the avocado). I cut my avocado into a bit more of cubes vs. slices…

This was delicious! I didn’t even add that much olive oil at the end because it was so moist. I served it with some seared sea bass and a nice Sauvignon Blanc. It’s definitely at the top of my list.

Fennel & (Raw) Asparagus Salad

Posted on May 3, 2015 by melsmosaic

Was flipping through Bon Appetit the other day and came across another recipe I needed to try. It had two of my favorite veggies in it — Fennel and Asparagus Salad. In the whole piece in the magazine, it is part of a pork shoulder cutlet recipe (I just didn’t feel like making the whole think, I had already had salmon ready to go).

1 small fennel bulb, cored, thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons fennel fronds
6 asparagus spears, shaved lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the asparagus, it is never too easy to shave them. I’ve had this one veggie peeler that is supposed to be good. Have you ever seen or used one of these? I always try to give it another shot. It scrapes, cuts and just does not make anything easy.

Finally just found my good old fashioned carrot peeler. That made it much easier.

Combine fennel, fennel fronds, asparagus, onion, and parsley in a medium bowl. Toss with lemon juice and olive oil; season with kosher salt and pepper.

This salad was so refreshing and had a great crunch to it. Totally worth making!

Smokin’ (Scallops)

Posted on April 5, 2015 by melsmosaic

Scallops = good. Smoked flavor = good. Combining the two = must inspect. Came across some Smoked Scallops the other day while at Whole Foods and it just sounded intriguing. I was planning to make some form of salad for dinner and they seemed liked they’d be a great ‘topping’ for it. The scallops were small — as in nowhere near U5s. Likely U50s? Do they count that small? I just don’t know the count for the size of that (yes, I’m biased; I love U5-10). Anyway…picked them up in the nice package.

Got home, opened the package and popped one in my mouth. WOW! Nice taste! That smoke, just like that taste I like in Pinotage. In the end (after nibbling on several) threw them on top of a nice arugula salad. Worth trying if you’re up for something new.

Crunchy Turnip, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Slaw

Posted on March 16, 2015 by melsmosaic

I attempt to try food I ‘don’t like’ at least once a year. But the other day I came across a recipe with something I just sort of dismiss because you don’t have the easy attempt or common offer to eat it, it’s not many people’s favorite and it’s not staring at you in the grocery store — turnip(s). So, when I was having a couple friends over for dinner the other night and preparing a veggie meal, this was a great time for me to give these guys a try.

The recipe I opted for is from Bon Appetit’s January issue — Crunchy Turnip, Apple, and Brussels Sprout Slaw. Well, since this is from the January issue, the main ingredient is not in (high) season right now. Luckily Whole Foods had it (this was after a couple other stops when I was debating changing my menu).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small white turnips, peeled, cut into matchsticks — apparently one the size of a softball, which is ‘normal’, is equivalent to 2 small
1 medium sweet-tart apple (such as Pink Lady), cut into matchsticks — I couldn’t find one, so did the happy medium — some Granny Smith, some other Red one
4 oz. brussels sprouts, leaves separated
1 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more — gotta love Whole Foods bulk section!

Whisk lemon juice, oil, and ginger in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

For the turnips and apple, I went to town with the V-slicer, with the attachment to make those beautiful matchsticks. Oh I love the kitchen!

Add turnips, apple, brussels sprouts, and 1 tsp. poppy seeds and toss to coat. Serve slaw topped with more poppy seeds.

Quite the salad. There was such a nice crunch to all of it, and the dressing was delicious. I love that since the key ingredients were in matchsticks they weren’t overwhelming. I ate turnips again!!! Had I not known there was turnip in there, wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Could almost have been jicama. One thing I’m surprised about is that this is published in the January issue since it’s a no-cook, cold salad. The only thing I could think is on the turnip being more of a winter root veggie. Thoughts? I will definitely save this for summer.

Rice Salad with Pecans, Fennel, and Herbs

Posted on March 9, 2015 by melsmosaic

Was flipping through a (sort of) recent Bon Appetit issue the other day (January 2015) and came across a recipe that looked tempting. With the ‘warm’ weather — I’m talking upper 50s and sunny after 8″ of snow last week — it was just far too appealing. It’s essentially a no-cook recipe, which was a bit off for a January recipe.

Red Rice Salad with Pecans, Fennel, and Herbs

1 cup red rice (I used the priceless Trader Joe’s microwave rice)
1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
2/3 cup pecans, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and finely chopped tender stems
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Toasted pistachio oil or almond oil (for serving; optional)

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool.

Meanwhile, toss fennel and onion with 2 tablespoons lime juice in a large bowl and let sit, tossing occasionally, until lime juice is almost entirely absorbed, 10-15 minutes.
So at this point, since it had to be thinly sliced, it was time to pull out the V-slicer/mandolin. Had such a great time!

Coarsely chop 1/3 cup pecans; finely chop remaining nuts. Laziness here, bought them that way — and, a heck of a lot cheaper for some reason. Cook in olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low until golden brown, 5-10 minutes. Let cool.

Add rice and pecans to fennel mixture along with remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and toss to combine. Gently fold in cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with pistachio oil, if desired.

*Do ahead: Rice salad (without cilantro) can be chilled up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

This salad was mouthwatering. I did not expect it to be this good. Wow. It could also easily be made with quinoa and/or another nuts. Will be a perfect summer recipe. Wow, delicious.

Some tahini here, some lemon there, and kale everywhere!

Posted on February 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Had some friends over for dinner and was going on an Asian theme. Was making some stir-fry like chicken dish and was looking for a salad to go with it. I found a great Cooking Light recipe to pair with it based on a whole page of kale salad ideas they had.

I went with the Tahini-Lemon Dressing — quick, easy and refreshing!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini

2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 cups thinly sliced stemmed Lacinato kale

3/4 cup cooked quinoa (I did not include this)

Prep:

Combine water, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, soy sauce, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add kale (and cooked quinoa; toss) — I did this in a more normal salad way. After making the dressing, I dressed the salad/kale.

Delicious, I’m addicted. I’ve made it twice since they’ve been over. And the dressing keeps/holds well, so you can make a good amount and just keep it in the fridge.

Grapefruit and Hearts of Palm Salad

Posted on January 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Found this recipe in Cooking Light and it just sounded so good. Many of my favorite ingredients. It just doesn’t seem like something that would be published in a winter issue (Jan/Feb) but I’m happy it was.

Grapefruit and Hearts of Palm Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise (nixed that)
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups baby kale (I chopped it)
1 1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit sections (about 2 large grapefruit)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 (14-ounce) cans hearts of palm, rinsed, drained, and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
1 small red chile, seeded and thinly sliced (I just used pepper flakes)
1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into thin wedges

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.

2. Place 2/3 cup kale on each of 6 plates. Arrange grapefruit sections, onion, hearts of palm, chile, and avocado evenly over kale. Drizzle with dressing. (ok, I didn’t make it that fancy — tossed all that stuff in a bowl and dressed it).

So good! Served it with some pan-seared scallops. I could eat this every night.