Quinoa Salad

Every once in awhile it's so nice to come home at the end of the day, scan the pantry and whip up a perfectly delicious meal from the things you already have.  In our house, this throw together meal usually formulates into a spicy curry dish, simple pasta or grain and vegetable salad. On this particular evening I took a peek at our reserves and discovered asparagus, fresh peas, feta and quinoa.  Grain and vegetable salad it was.  No meat in sight so I added some leftover red lentils for protein.  I threw together a citrusy and spicy lemon and mustard vinaigrette, cooked the quinoa and sauteed the vegetables.  A quick toss with some fresh parsley and crumbled feta and dinner was done.  Fast, easy and filling.  Sometimes it is so satisfying to create your own sporadic recipes from the things you already have on hand.

Quinoa Salad

(serves 4 or 2 with leftovers for lunch the next day)

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed with cool water and drained

1 Tbsp butter

olive oil

1/2 shallot sliced thinly

handful of fresh asparagus, sliced on the bias

1/2 fresh peas (frozen would also work)

1/4 cup lentils, cooked

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped 

juice from half a lemon

1 tsp dijon mustard

kosher salt 

freshly cracked black pepper

In a large sauce pot bring quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Allow to rest while you cook the vegetables.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.  Once the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add the shallots and cook until wilted and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the asparagus, peas and a pinch of salt and stir.  Saute the vegetables until just warmed through, not more than 4-5 minutes.  You still want the vegetables to retain their bright green color and crispness so don't overcook.  Add the cooked quinoa and lentils to the saute pan and stir together.  Transfer the salad to a large bowl and set aside while you prepare the vinaigrette.

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice and dijon mustard with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.  Simultaneously whisk the mixture and pour in a slow, steady stream of olive oil until the dressing emulsifies and becomes thick and creamy.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Pour half of the dressing over the salad and add the parsley and feta.  Toss to combine and add more dressing if needed.  Serve slightly warm, at room temperature or cold.  

Fresh, sweet peas add a bursting of spring flavor to this salad.

Baby asparagus and shallots ready for a saute.

Bright green vegetables tossed lightly in wilted shallot, butter and oil.  

The perfect spur-of-the-moment dinner.

Comfort Loves

Sometimes you just want to eat something utterly comforting.  For me, that time is pretty much all day, every day. Lately, I've been doing a good job of indulging my cravings for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a sweet late-night snack. Whole wheat chocolate chip cookie bars, fresh berries, dark chocolate cake and richly decadent breakfast sandwiches.  All are delicious, all have been served on heavy rotation in our house and all are my idea of comforting.

Whole wheat chocolate chip bars.  Adapted from a recipe in one of my favorite new cookbooks, Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce.  Whole wheat flour and deep, dark chocolate.  Not only does the use of whole wheat flour make these bars healthier, it also gives them a earthy, nutty, toasted grain flavor that I crave at least once a week.  The perfect weeknight, post-dinner dessert fix.

A simple bowl of berries.  Drench them in cream for breakfast, macerate with lemon juice and sugar to serve with shortcakes  or eat them as is.  For me, they have been a sweet and juicy reminder that summer is almost here.

Dark and rich chocolate cake.  A thick, triangular slice and a tall glass of milk.  The perfect after school (or  after work) snack.  This particular version was adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe and I used piping hot coffee instead of water in the cake batter.  

A warm biscuit, split and slathered with fresh parsley butter.  Melted white cheddar.  Crispy bacon and a softly fried egg.   Lately, this sandwich is on my mind the minute I wake up every Saturday morning.

Carrot and Feta Salad

Spring has arrived and not a moment too soon. The snow has melted, the sun sets later each evening and we've wiped the dust off the charcoal grill. Life is good. A cold salad of roasted carrots and feta cheese is the perfect side dish to any backyard barbeque. Honestly, I make this salad year round, but it seems particularly appropriate for spring. Carrots, lightly sprinkled with smokey cumin and roasted until sweet and caramelized. Toss them with crumbled, salty feta and bright fresh parsley. This simple salad is a delicious way to enjoy the first days of spring.

Carrot and Feta Salad
Serves 4

2 lbs carrots
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
Small handful of fresh, flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel carrots and then cut them into thick slices, on the bias.  Transfer carrots to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle liberally with olive oil.  Sprinkle with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on the cumin.  With clean hands, toss the carrots in the oil and spices until evenly coated.  Roast carrots for 25 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges.

Remove carrots from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Toss with feta and chopped parsley. Eat at room temperature or cold.

Sweet carrots.

Ready for roasting.  

Spring is here.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Baking the perfect biscuit is something that has alluded me.  For the longest time I could never seem to get them just right.  I tried buttermilk, I tried cream.  I tried countless types of flour. Nothing was working.  They all turned out too thin, too tough, too cakey or too crumbly.  I dreamed of tall, rich biscuit breakfast sandwiches piled high with cheese, bacon and egg.  Sweet shortcake biscuits loaded with fresh strawberries and hand-whipped cream.  I'd begun to believe that the ideal flaky, buttery and puffed biscuit was something I just couldn't create.  Thankfully my hope was restored on a recent trip to NYC.  We were staying with friends in Brooklyn and on our last morning we woke up and walked to their Carroll Gardens neighborhood restaurant, Prime Meats.  I ordered the buttermilk biscuit with egg and cheese.  It was perfect. Tall, buttery, flaky and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  I ate half and took half with me to nibble on during our flight home.  Recharged in my quest to make myself a batch of glorious golden biscuits, I came home and tried one last time to get them right.  I guess all I needed was a little inspiration.

Buttermilk Biscuits
makes 6-7 medium sized biscuits
(adapted from this recipe)

1 1/4 cups cake flour (I like Swans Down brand)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 stick of cold butter + 2 Tbsp for brushing
3/4 cup cold buttermilk

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Cut the 1/2 stick of cold butter into small chunks, transfer it to a bowl and place in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the cold butter to the dry mixture and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course bread crumbs. This may take as long as 5 minutes.  Add the cold buttermilk to the flour butter mixture and mix with your hands until the dough comes together into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto your workspace and knead the dough 2-3 times or just until the dough has come together.  Flatten and mold the dough with your hands until it is approximately 1 inch thick. Using a small round cutter, cut out the biscuits. Be sure not to twist the cutter, only press the cutter down into the dough.  Transfer biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet, arranging the biscuits tightly together.  (This will help them rise). Place pan in the refrigerator and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the 2 Tbsp of butter in a small bowl.  Once the 10 minutes is up, brush the biscuit tops with butter.  Place the pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and cooked all the way through.  Transfer biscuits to a wire rack and allow to cool a few minutes before eating.

Be sure to keep working the butter into the flour until it resembles course bread crumbs.  

After cutting the biscuits, snuggle them up on the baking sheet and brush with melted butter.  

Golden, flaky buttery biscuits.

Spread with jam, make a sandwich or eat them plain.  These are perfect in any form.