Garlic Scape and Spinach Pesto

Recently a coworker brought in a huge bag of garlic scapes from his garden to share, and I was happy to accept a few handfuls, as I've never had them before and I rarely turn down an opportunity to try a new vegetable.

 

They look kind of alien-ish, I think. The tops will (I believe) bloom into flowers if not trimmed at this stage.

I always love to try new kinds of pesto, so I whizzed these guys together with some spinach (the garlicky flavor of the scapes by themselves was almost overwhelming), parmesan cheese and nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil of course. Tossed with some whole wheat rotini and some fresh mozzarella, and dinner was a snap.

I cooked 1 lb of pasta and used the entire batch of pesto in the recipe below, along with 8 oz fresh mozzarella chopped into bite sized pieces. Some chicken, sausage or tofu would be a nice addition, or some additional veggies like zucchini and mushrooms. I added a few leftover roasted cherry tomatoes, which added a nice contrast to the rich pesto and mozz.

Garlic Scape and Spinach Pesto
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
8-10 garlic scapes, chopped in 1" pieces
4 ounces spinach leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup toasted almonds and/or walnuts (I used 1/4 cup of each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
about 1/4 cup olive oil (or more to taste)

Directions:
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except the olive oil. Process/blend for 20-30 seconds, then drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until smooth. Can be made a few days ahead of time (cover with olive oil and store in the refrigerator) and can even be frozen (ditto on the covering with olive oil).

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Weekly Lunch: Quinoa with Black Bean Hummus

Are you familiar with jicama? I have enjoyed this vegetable in restaurant salads for a few years now, but have never purchased one or cooked one myself. Actually, I don't know if anyone ever cooks them, or if they are only eaten raw.

Jicamas are kind of gnarly looking on the outside, but the flesh is crunchy, mild and slightly sweet - kind of like a cross between an apple and a potato. Jicama is a great addition to veggie trays, too, it is a sturdy vegetable and will stand up to a variety of different kinds of dips.

On Sunday I cooked up some plain quinoa, and I made a batch of black bean hummus (slightly spicy, with cilantro and lime). So, packing my lunch this week was a snap - couple handfuls of baby spinach, pile of quinoa, big scoop of black bean hummus, and some crunchy jicama and bell peppers (which I sliced ahead of time) on top. When I remembered, I drizzled some extra lime juice on top right before serving. Very refreshing.

I had extra black bean hummus, so I added it to some breakfast burritos I made for dinner one night, with scrambled eggs, bacon and leftover roasted potatoes. I love multitasking meals like this!

Black Bean Hummus
Makes about 2 cups

1 15-ounce can of cooked black beans, drained but not rinsed

Big handful of cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice of one lime
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Put all ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor or blender. Process/blend for about 10 seconds, then pour in the olive oil and continue processing until smooth.

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Weekly Lunch: Farro and Feta Salad with Spring Veggies

I scored big in the bulk section last weekend: 3 pounds of almonds, 2 pounds of oats, a pound of dried chickpeas and another 3 pounds of farro. I haven't had farro in months since it's harder to find than wheat berries and quinoa, but I am happy to be back in stock.

This week we have a quick and easy salad that takes advantage of quick-cooking spring vegetables, English peas and broccolini. Regular broccoli would also be delicious, as would broccoli rabe or kale rabe. I am also happy to start using fresh thyme from my new thyme plant!

From left, we have flat-leaf parsley, oregano, and thyme. I need to repot these guys! I wish I had room for a full garden, but I have a small, east-facing balcony that doesn't get a ton of light. Good for herbs (and maybe lettuce?) but not much else. I have a great book called The Bountiful Container, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to grow edible plants in containers. The authors go over a ton of different veggies, herbs and even fruits that can be grown in pots - what varieties to look for, what kind of soil and sunshine they need, when they can be harvested, etc. I am not great with plants but I keep trying!!

Farro and Feta Salad with Spring Veggies
Makes 4 main dish servings

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups dried farro
4 hard boiled eggs
1 bunch broccolini, about 1/2 pound
1 pound English peas, shelled (about 1 1/2 cups of peas)
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2-3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions:
Rinse farro well, then place in a pot (with a lid) with about 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25-30 minutes until farro is tender and fully cooked but still chewy. Drain any excess water and set aside to cool.

Bring another pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Chop broccolini in half or thirds. Add the stem ends of the broccolini to the boiling water, and after thirty seconds, add the rest of the broccolini. After 20 seconds, add the peas. Boil for another 60 seconds (no longer!) then drain and place the veggies in a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Make the dressing: Combine lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in about 1/2 ounce of crumbled feta. Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk or shake to combine. Pour half of the dressing over the farro and stir well. Save the rest of the dressing in a sealable container or jar.

Lunch assembly: In your lunch container, combine 1/4 of the farro and 1/4 of the veggies. Add one of the hard boiled eggs, sliced, and 2 tablespoons of the pepitas and a handful of crumbled feta. Drizzle with a little extra dressing right before serving.

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Weekly Lunch: Lemon-Tahini Lentil Salad

I learned something about myself this week: I do not like roasted turnips. Admitting I don't like a certain food, especially a healthy vegetable, is not something I do very often, but I just don't see any way around it.

Poor turnips, object of so many childrens' hatred, and now mine too. At least the full-grown turnips. Baby turnips, on the other hand, can be quite tasty. I've made this recipe for Orechiette with Baby Turnips and their Greens (from In Praise of Sardines) several times, and it is a wonderful combination of the earthy (yet mild!) baby turnips, the slightly bitter greens, a touch of salt from some pecorino cheese, and heat from red chili flakes.

So, if you ever see baby turnips (about 1" in diameter), I do recommend them. Full-sized turnips, however, well, I'll have to try them again sometime. But not for a while.

Before I knew my true feelings for (full-sized) turnips, my big plan for this week's salad was to roast some turnips and carrots, and mix them with some lentils that I tossed with a simple lemon-tahini dressing. I used a base of baby spinach and topped the salad with a few salted pistachio nuts and a hard boiled egg. But the turnips were so gross (sorry to offend anyone who likes turnips - maybe you could share a recipe you like?) that after Monday's lunch I knew I had to come up with something else.

The roasted turnips looked so promising...

Even the carrots were contaminated with the taste of turnips. I felt bad, but I had to throw them out. Fortunately the lentils were good, so for the next few days' lunches, I added more spinach, more pistachios, and I chopped up a few dried apricots. The extra pistachios and the sweetness from the apricots really helped balance the earthy lentils, and I definitely wasn't missing the turnips.

This version was definitely tastier.

So there we have it. A gross lunch turned into a tasty one. And please, if you like turnips, I would love to hear how you cook them!


Lemon-Tahini Lentil Salad
Makes 4 main-dish servings

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/3 cups dried lentils, picked though and rinsed (I used French green lentils, but regular brown ones will work)
4 hard-boiled eggs
4-6 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
Several dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup salted pistachio nuts

Juice of one lemon, about 3 tablespoons
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tahini paste
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Simmer the lentils in lightly salted water until tender, drain any excess water and set aside to cool.

Mix all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss half of the dressing with the lentils and save the rest in a small container.

Assembly:
In the morning (or the night before), place a few handfuls of baby spinach in your lunch container. Add 1/4 of the lentils. Top with pistachios, diced apricots, and a sliced hard boiled egg. Drizzle with a bit of extra dressing right before serving.

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Weekly Lunch: Citrusy Barley and Golden Beet Salad

I think this is a record - the first four days in May have all provided actual sunshine in Portland. Actual sunshine!! It's amazing how the general mood in this city lifts when it stops raining. It's cloudy now, of course, but those four days were pretty darn nice.

This is not the first beet salad I've made, and it certainly won't be the last. This one is a little different, though, with a citrusy-shallot vinaigrette and a little kick from some pepperoncini peppers. Pepperoncinis are my new favorite thing - I've been putting them in everything from pizza to stirfry.

Citrusy Barley and Golden Beet Salad
Makes 4 main dish servings

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup hulled barley
2 golden beets
Half a head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cubed
Pepperoncini peppers, as many as desired
Sunflower seeds (optional)

Zest and juice of half an orange
Zest and juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 medium shallot, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse the barley and place in a medium pot with about 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until barley is tender but still chewy. Drain any excess water and set aside to cool.

Wash and trim the beets. but don't peel them. Drizzle each beet with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then wrap each beet in foil. Roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for about an hour or until easily pierced with a knife. Set aside until cool, then peel the beets and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Make the dressing: put all ingredients in a small jar or other sealable container and shake to combine. Pour about half of the dressing over the barley and mix well.

In the refrigerator, keep the barley, beets and cabbage in separate containers. Each night (or in the morning) put a serving of each component in a lunch container, then top with crumbled feta, pepperoncinis and sunflower seeds. Drizzle with a little extra dressing before serving.

Weekly Lunch: Super Seedy Veggie Wrap

The top two definitions of seedy (per google) are:
1. Sordid and disreputable
2. Shabby and squalid

This wrap does not fit either of those definitions, although I like the idea of a disreputable (but healthy!) lunch making the rounds to various pay-by-the-hour motels around town. I can see the marketing team now, "Eat more seeds, be less seedy!"

I do have a couple of other things to say about this wrap:
1. I am terrible at wrapping wraps. Maybe I've been overstuffing them?
2. I LOVE seeds.
3. I do not like the wraps I bought. They taste almost sweet, yet cardboardy. Does anyone have a favorite wrap they can recommend? Preferably a whole grain version?

Packed and ready to go.

Super Seedy Veggie Wrap
Makes 5-6 wraps

Ingredients:
1 package of whole grain sandwich wraps
Half a head of red cabbage, sliced thin
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
Baby spinach leaves
Salad sprouts (from radishes, clover, broccoli, etc)
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
16 oz. cottage cheese
2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 1/4 cups seeds (I used 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup each of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and hemp seeds)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Toast the seeds, if desired, and set aside.
For each wrap, mix together 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard, several grinds of pepper, and a handful of parsley. Stir in 1/4 cup mixed seeds.
To put the wrap together, layer spinach leaves, cabbage, and carrot shreds on your wrap. Spread the cottage cheese-seed mixture down the center of the wrap, then top with sprouts. Roll up as best you can, trying to keep the filling inside. Serve and enjoy.

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Weekly Lunch: Spring Millet Salad

Were you a picky eater as a kid? I was pretty open-minded, but definitely had my quirks, and there were more than a few foods I just wouldn't touch. Radishes were one of them - I don't know why, they seem so mild and harmless now, but there was something I didn't like about them. As I've gotten older, I've enjoyed seeing how my taste buds change and learning to like some of those foods I avoided as a kid.

I have learned to like thinly sliced radishes in salads, and to go with them, I wanted to take advantage of more colorful spring veggies this week, including half a head of red cabbage left over from last week's lunch (one more reason to love red cabbage - it lasts for such a long time!).

To go with the veggies I cooked some millet and some yellow split peas, and toasted some pumpkin seeds for a crunchy topping. I crumbled some goat cheese, made a lemony dressing to keep at work and use throughout the week, and was all set.

Spring Millet Salad
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup millet
1 1/4 cup yellow split peas
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
Radishes, as desired, thinly sliced
Sugar snap peas, as desired, cut in half
2-3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1 small shallot, minced
Juice of one lemon
White wine vinegar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
Cook the millet: in a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt, then stir in the millet. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain any excess water and set aside.

Cook the yellow split peas: bring a pot of water to a boil, then add a spoonful of salt and the peas. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until just tender, then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Toast the pepitas in a small saucepan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and toasty smelling.

Make the dressing: juice the lemon, and add white wine vinegar to make a total of 1/4 cup. Stir in the minced shallot and yogurt, add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the olive oil.

Put it together: pour about half of the dressing over the millet and stir together. Layer the millet, split peas, and veggies, then top with the toasted pepitas and some goat cheese. Drizzle some of the remaining salad dressing just before serving.

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Weekly Lunch: Quinoa with Roasted Fennel, Carrot and Kale

Do you ever see a recipe, or a photo of the finished dish, and immediately know that you just have to make it? It happens to me all the time. When I saw Shauna's post on Roasted Vegetable Salad I loved the look of the roasted fennel and carrot, and I liked the idea of cooking kale in the oven, just barely, so that it wilts but isn't crispy like kale chips.

I went to the farmer's market last weekend, and even though it's early in the season, there was an abundance of beautiful produce. I got a huge bunch of lacinato kale, and I bought a fennel bulb for the first time ever. I've enjoyed it in salads before, but had never tried roasting it. I'm so glad I branched out! When was the last time you tried a new vegetable? It's been way too long for me.

From left to right: collard greens, lacinato kale, green garlic, shallots, fennel, broccoli raab, and shiitake mushrooms.

The recipe is simple. Chop some veggies (I used the fennel and a few carrots) into large chunks, toss with oil, salt and pepper, and roast in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, I chopped up the kale into small pieces. After the 20 minutes, I piled the kale on top of the carrots and fennel, and put it back in the oven for about 4-5 minutes. Afterward, it looked like this:

I also cooked a pot of quinoa, and made a simple dressing with lemon juice, a splash of white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, green garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I used a small plastic container that I can easily keep in the office refrigerator and shake up each day at lunchtime.

Mix it all together and top with goat cheese and a hard boiled egg. I love how the fennel got so caramelized. The sweet roasted veggies, slightly bitter kale, tangy goat cheese and lemon juice dressing was a great combo.

Weekly Lunch: Moroccan-ish Chickpea Soup

My quest for new lunch ideas continues! It's still too early for spring veggies, so I'm making do with sweet potatoes and cauliflower, but with a different flavor base. This week's soup is inspired by a Moroccan chickpea tagine, with a spicy tomato-based broth and hearty winter vegetables. Rather than serving over the traditional couscous, I added some millet to the pot. Millet is similar enough in size to couscous, and is a whole grain to boot.

I am impressed that the millet has stayed chewy, even after a few days (unlike pasta, which keeps absorbing broth and becomes soggy overnight). I'll definitely put millet in soup again!

Moroccan-ish Chickpea Stew
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons harissa paste (I used a storebought one, but I would love to make it sometime!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 bay leaf
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped in 1/2" pieces

1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (I used a 15 oz. can)
1/2 cup uncooked millet
1/4 cup raisins (or dried apricots or currants)
optional toppings: toasted slivered almonds and/or fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onion, carrots and celery in the olive oil for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the harissa paste, cumin and coriander and cook for another minute.

Add the sweet potato, bay leaf, tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, garbanzo beans and millet, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes until the veggies are tender and the millet is fully cooked. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Weekly Lunch: Black Eyed Pea, Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Okay, so maybe I overreacted last week when I said I was tired of wintry foods. A few days of rain put me right back in the mood for warm soups and casseroles.

This soup has some serious nutritional powerhouses - sweet potato, kale, garlic, tomatoes, beans - and will definitely help me keep up my veggie intake.

I like using curly kale in soup, but I prefer dinosaur/lacinato kale for salads. It's totally normal to have two favorite kinds of kale, right?

This is my favorite kind of soup to make - chop a bunch of veggies, throw them in a pot, and simmer.

It may be wintry, but anything this colorful will easily cheer up lunchtime.



Black Eyed Pea, Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cloves garlic
1 large sweet potato
1 bunch kale
1 1/2 cups cooked black eyed peas (I used a 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed)
1-15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups vegetable stock

Directions:
Chop all of the veggies and mince the garlic. I cut the kale in thin strips, about 1/4" wide and 2-3" long.
Over medium heat, cook the onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil in a large soup pot, 8-10 minutes until well softened and starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the sweet potato, herbs and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then add the tomatoes, beans and kale, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until everything is very tender. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Weekly Lunch: Yellow Split Peas with Cilantro Pesto

Is anyone else ready for winter to be over? I am getting pretty tired of root vegetables and squashes, and find myself wanting more fresh and lively meals to brighten my days.

Enter cilantro pesto. One of the many beautiful salads on Heidi Swanson's site is this pepita salad. I made the recipe exactly as she posted it, so I won't repost here. Suffice it to say that this cilantro pesto is totally awesome. Fresh, spicy, nutty, garlicky.

I made a slightly smaller batch of this salad (enough for 3 hearty lunch servings), but made the entire batch of the cilantro-pepita pesto. We made burgers earlier this week and topped them with the extra pesto for another summery meal.

This was my first time cooking with yellow split peas! I'm looking forward to using them in more recipes.

I can't leave well enough alone, so I added a hard boiled egg and a couple of sliced radishes to each serving of salad. I loved having toasted pepitas in both the pesto and sprinkled on top for extra crunch.

And, just for fun, here's my afternoon snack this week (along with an unpictured tangerine). I found LauraJayne's favorite flavor of Laughing Cow and I am so glad she recommended it. I love the hint of smoky spice. 

 What summery foods are you looking forward to?

Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Onion

Is it just me or do cabbages kind of look like brains?

Maybe it's my German side asserting itself, but I've really been craving cabbage lately (I really want some sauerkraut too!). Here's another wintry side dish for these cold January days. It's very simple, just cabbage, onion, apple, all cooked together with a little butter and braised with balsamic vinegar.

If I have some fresh goat cheese around, I love to add a few crumbles to the finished dish. Even without it though, this is a vibrant addition to any meal. I enjoyed it with some simple pan-seared chicken and roasted potatoes.

Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Onion
Makes 4-6 servings
 
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Half of a head of red cabbage, cut in thin slices about 1-2 inches long.
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I use the $4 stuff from TJ's for this, nothing fancy)
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the cabbage and apple.
3. Add the stock and the vinegar and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender.
4. Season to taste with salt and (lots of) pepper, and additional vinegar if desired.

Weekly Lunch: Broccoli Pesto Quinoa

Time for a shock: I used a recipe for this week's lunch! An honest-to-goodness recipe!

Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks is a big source of inspiration for both recipes and photography. When I first saw her recipe for Double Broccoli Quinoa I was skeptical - broccoli pesto? Really? But I've been eating a lot of broccoli these days, and I'm starting to get sick of it. So I decided to give this recipe a try, and I'm glad I did - it's really garlicky and nutty with this great freshness from the broccoli and lemon juice.

Also, I don't use slivered almonds enough. Something about the size is just perfect in salads.

 

I love the color of this pesto. So bright and refreshing in January! In addition to the broccoli, it contains toasted almonds, grated parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice.

Mix pesto with quinoa and you get greenoa!

I bulked up the dish with some chickpeas (of course), a hard boiled egg, and some sesame seeds. I promise the quinoa is underneath all of the deliciousness!

 

I used the leftover broccoli pesto to make chicken tenders! First, I spiked the pesto with a little sriracha, then I mixed about a cup of panko breadcrumbs with some smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Then I spread the pesto all over the chicken tenders, dredged them in the breadcrumbs, and placed on a metal rack on a baking sheet. Sprayed with an oil sprayer, then baked for about 15-20 minutes (you could pan-fry too) and they turned out really well. The chicken stayed moist, and the pesto turned it into something different and a little special!

I want to use more actual recipes this year. I have some great cookbooks but rarely use them!

Weekly Lunch: Barley Salad with Artichoke Hearts

Like last week, I wanted something super simple for lunch this week. Marinated artichoke hearts were on sale at the grocery store, and I still have some barley in the cupboard. Time for a quick salad!

I simply cooked some barley until tender but chewy. Chopped up some carrots, celery, sun dried tomatoes, and the artichoke hearts. Mixed the cooked barley with a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), the sun dried tomatoes, and a few tablespoons of the artichoke marinade (mostly olive oil and white wine vinegar). Then I layered the salad in my plastic containers, starting with the barley-chickpea mixture, then the chopped veggies, a sprinkle of feta, and some salad greens.

Brussels Sprouts, Two Ways

Well, technically this is only one way to cook Brussels sprouts, and one way to use up the leftovers. Either way, I like it. The hazelnuts add richness and the lemon juice adds brightness, making boring old Brussels sprouts into something (slightly) more exciting.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts and Lemon

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts
• Juice of one lemon (I used a Meyer lemon)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Let cool, then chop roughly. 
2. Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. Slice about 1/8" off the bottom of the sprout and remove any brown or discolored leaves. Slice sprouts in half, then cut each half in thin (1/8-1/4") slices. (You can also shred the sprouts in a food processor if you prefer - definitely the easier route if you are making a larger batch.)
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until beginning to brown. 
4. Add the hazelnuts and the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Potato Cakes with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• Leftover mashed potatoes,1 1/2 cups
• Leftover shredded brussels sprouts, about 3/4 cup
• Red chili pepper flakes and/or smoked paprika
• Flour
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine potatoes and sprouts in a small bowl. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and/or smoked paprika - a little bit of heat really makes this dish.
2. Pour flour, about 1/4-1/3 cup, onto a small dish. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Form cakes using 1/4 cup of the potato mixture (I made 6 cakes using the quantities above). Use your hands to shape them, then coat all sides in the flour. When the skillet is hot, add the potato cakes and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until crispy and deep golden brown. Serve hot.

Epic Sandwich

I haven't felt much like cooking lately, so I've been eating a lot of sandwiches. I tend to go on sandwich kicks for a few weeks, then I get sick of them and don't eat them for months. This epic sandwich was really fun to make (and to eat).

Step 1: Gather your ingredients. Clockwise from top left: hummus, multigrain bread (with nuts and seeds!), sharp cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes, clover sprouts, and an egg.

Step 2: Fry the egg in some butter, and toast the bread.

Step 3: Spread one piece of toast with cream cheese (whoops, left that out of the picture) and the other with hummus.

Step 4: Put the cheese on top of the egg so it gets all melty.

Step 5: Slide the egg onto one of the pieces of bread.

Step 6: Add sprouts and chopped sundried tomatoes.

Step 7: Put the second piece of bread on top.

Step 8: Cut the sandwich in half, diagonally please.

Step 9: Dig in.

What's your favorite epic sandwich?