Fresh Turmeric and Cranberry Quinoa Salad, Inspired by Whole Foods

A few years ago, I discovered a fabulous salad in the Whole Foods prepared foods case: Israeli Couscous Salad with Cranberries and Pecans.  I think I was initially attracted to the salad because of its bright yellow (from turmeric) and red (from cranberries) colors.  And so I tasted it.  Yumm.  So simple but a perfect combination of texture, herbs, citrus, and onion.  No part of the salad was too overwhelming; all the ingredients were in perfect harmony.  Having made this discovery, I wanted to share the salad with everyone!  Unfortunately my mother is allergic to nuts, so I could only show her how pretty it was...  But then one day, after having purchased this salad several times (it makes the perfect beach-day bring-along lunch treat) I made it my mission to recreate the salad at home nut-free and have my mom try it.  I stealthily looked at the ingredients list in the case at Whole Foods and was prepared to experiment until I got the recipe just right.  As a starting point, I decided to Google the salad to see if I could get some hints.  To my delight, someone on Epicurious - another devoted fan of this salad - had already done all the trial-and-error work for me...there it was, a promising copy-cat recipe for the Whole Foods couscous salad.

I excitedly purchased my ingredients and followed the recipe diligently.  I tried the final product.  Yuck.  It had absolutely no flavor.  My mom suggested I add in some more of the herbs and turmeric used in the recipe.  Nope, still didn't work.  And despite the teaspoons and teaspoons of ground turmeric I added, the couscous was still rather pale...not the beautiful yellow color on display at Whole Foods.  Frustrated, I shoved the salad into the fridge.  I'll deal with it tomorrow, I thought.  I couldn't help but feel like I had failed...how did Whole Foods do it??

The next day, having regained my composure, I took the salad out of the fridge.  Magic had happened overnight.  Suddenly, the salad was bursting with the yellow color and the delicious flavor I so fondly had in my mind of the authentic Whole Foods version.  It turns out, the salad just needed some time to sit and ponder its salad-ness.  So that's the only problem with this salad...you have to make it in advance.  The solution: just make a giant batch or double batch and eat it throughout the week...caution: you may have to fight over the last serving.

While I avoid making the same thing multiple times, this is a salad I keep coming back to.  It's too good not to.  However, this time around, I decided to shake things up a bit.  First of all, in an attempt to use up all the items in my pantry before I graduate college, I used some quinoa I had instead of going out and purchasing Israeli couscous.  Second, I used fresh turmeric instead of ground, dry turmeric.  Fresh turmeric is something I only discovered a few months ago, and I haven't used it much yet, but I am absolutely fascinated by this crazy root.  It looks like a piece of ginger root on the outside, but when you peel it, you are greeted by the most incredibly bright orange color.  Beware, the color is a potent stain; your fingers will turn slightly orange for a little while...a small price to pay for having the opportunity to play with such a fun ingredient.  Third, I added sweet potato chunks.  Why?  a) I had a sweet potato b) Sweet potatoes are also a gorgeous color c) I love sweet potatoes and think they should be everywhere (well, that's an exaggeration perhaps, but I really do love them).

Just so colorful...makes me smile!

Fresh Turmeric and Cranberry Quinoa, Inspired by Whole Foods

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• scant 2 cups water
• 1 inch knob of fresh turmeric, peeled and grated*
• 1 sweet potato (I used a garnet yam), chopped into bite-size chunks
• zest of 1 orange
• juice of half an orange
• 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp dried terragon
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 large scallions, sliced thinly (white and light green parts)
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries (if they are whole cranberries, chop them up slightly)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa, water, and grated turmeric to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let it sit, cover on, for 5-10 minutes.
2. In a large saute pan, heat a splash of canola oil.  Add the sweet potato chunks and a dash of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until you have a little color on the chunks.  Then, cover the pan and let the sweet potatoes cook until tender, checking every few minutes and adding a splash of water if necessary lest they burn.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the orange zest, juice, vinegar, herbs, and scallions.  Slowing whisk in the canola oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Once the quinoa has cooled a bit, add it to the bowl with the dressing.  Toss well.  Add the sweet potatoes and cranberries and toss to combine.
5. Let the salad sit for a day before eating it.  Trust me, it needs this time for the flavors to meld together!  Once the salad has had time to sit, check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.
6. If you're looking for some toppings, toasted almonds, pistachios, or pecans are a sublime accompaniment! 

*If you can't find fresh turmeric root - but try to because it's so cool! - then just substitute 1-2 tsp dried turmeric, adding it in with the herbs in the dressing instead of the initial cooking water.

It's true what they say: you taste with your eyes before you taste with your tongue!

This is the perfect salad to bring along to work or to the beach or to just eat on your deck at home.  It would also make a dashing potluck contribution...and you would be sure to receive lots of compliments!

In other happy news...I finished my last undergraduate final exam and will be graduating in 10 days!

Duck Duck Goose

A few weeks ago, while visiting my elementary school woodworking/gym teacher, I was reminded of one of my favorite childhood games: duck duck goose.  (Perhaps even better than duck duck goose, however, was drip drip splash... )  I'm sorry to disappoint you DDG fans - I may have just faked you out - but the following post has nothing to do with either of these games beyond the fact that duck duck goose is a rather fitting title for this post!  Just thought I'd point out where the inspiration for the title came from!

One of my favorite vendors at the Farmer's Market is Daring Drake Farm, whose owner we lovingly refer to in my house as "the duck egg guy".  What first attracted me to his booth a few years ago was his duck eggs.  I had never thought of eating duck eggs before!  (Nor had I ever really seen them...)  I was immediately fascinated.  What I love about the duck egg guy is that he always refers to his ducks as "the girls".  But he doesn't just sell duck eggs...he sells a plethora of exotic berries (including several varieties from Russia that I've never heard of), unique winter squash (my favorite are the Japanese varieties), the most incredible apples (left one in my bag for a few hours and when I opened the zipper later, I was hit by the most beautiful scent of fall), among many other unique produce items.  Along with his fabulous market goods, he brings an unrivaled passion for and knowledge about his products.  Whenever I go to the market, I spend a decent amount of time conversing with this lovely man!

Just a few weeks ago, he started selling goose eggs.  I was immediately captivated by these huge eggs.  I was tempted to buy one...but I thought, what am I ever going to do with it?  One goose egg is apparently the equivalent of 4 large chicken eggs.  Finally, I took the plunge last weekend and bought one.  I was on my way home for the weekend, so I thought it would make a fun project...and a funny "hello I'm home" gift to my mom.  (Now do you see how the title fits this post?  I hope you do because I thought it was rather clever!)

Goose egg in his bed, all wrapped up safe and sound.

Quite a handful!

We had quite the photoshoot.

Sassy and Mimi sniffed the egg a little but weren't thrilled...

So I decided to make a simple frittata with the goose egg.  The yolk of this egg was incredible.  If you are someone who is afraid of egg yolks and only eat whites, this post is not for you.  If you are like me and love delicious, unctuous yolks, please keep on reading.  The goose egg yolk was an intense dark yellow, almost orange color and made for a beautiful, rich frittata.  The shell of this egg was also amazingly thick...and the membranous layer just inside the shell was - as my mother said - strong as a rubber band.  Indeed, I needed to give the egg a good couple of whacks before I could crack it open.

Anyways, this was quite a success!  The taste wasn't too different from a good chicken egg (organic, small, happy farm-raised), but it was definitely more decadent and delicious.  My next task: buy another goose egg and make a cake!  I'm thinking some sort of a pound cake...mmm imagining the rich loveliness!

Duck Egg Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1 goose egg (or 4 large chicken eggs...perhaps 3 duck eggs?)
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 1/4 cup grated gruyere cheese, divided
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach (perhaps 3 cups)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• butter for greasing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place a small baking dish in the oven and allow it to preheat along with the oven.  I used a small copper skillet.  You could use an appropriately-sized ramekin (or 2-4 smaller ones) or a cast iron pot of some sort.  A cake pan could even work as long as it's not too big.
2. Crack the goose egg into a bowl.  I got some shell shards in there originally...make sure you get all of those out!
3. Add in the milk and 2 tbsp of the gruyere cheese.  Add a little salt (I used 1/8 tsp) and pepper.  Whisk whisk whisk.
4. Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan over medium heat.  Add the shallot and cook for 3 minutes until soft.  Add the spinach and cook for just another minute or two until wilted.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Stir the cooked spinach mixture into the egg mixture.
6. When the oven and the dish are fully preheated, remove the dish from the oven.  Careful!  It's super hot, so make sure you have your heat-stoppers (aka potholders) handy.  
7. Immediately grease the hot dish with butter and then add the egg mixture.  You will see the edges will cook on contact - this is good!  It means it won't stick later.  Put the remaining gruyere cheese on top of the eggs.
8. Return the dish to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on top and set in the middle.
9. Remove and serve, perhaps with a few slices of buttered toast and/or a slice of avocado and some sprouts.  This will serve 4 for a light breakfast or 2 for a more substantial brunch-like meal.

Finally succeeded in cracking that tough shell!  Had to fish out those few shell pieces...whoops!

Time to mix in the veggies with the eggy.

All mixed.

The edges of the frittata sizzled up right away.

Beautiful golden brown and smelling delicious.

Look at that intense yellow color on the inside...

Simple yet very elegant.  Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or brunch!

Here's the super thick egg shell and rubber-band-like membrane inside.

When I bought the huge goose egg, I also bought a bunch of tiny bantam chicken eggs.  These are cute mini eggs laid by little bantam chickens, who are cared for by the duck egg guy's daughter.  According to the duck egg guy, his biggest customers for these mini eggs are parents whose children won't eat their breakfast unless it is in the form of a smiley face...and the little eggs make the perfect eyes!  I have yet to try them as I write this post...but I'm thinking they'll make a lovely breakfast tomorrow!  ...and yes, I will make my breakfast in the shape of a smiley face (I'm thinking toast on the bottom, eggs for eyes, chocolate chips for the smile, banana slice for the nose?  I also have some avocado, which would make for some crazy green hair.)

Goose egg, chicken egg, bantam egg.  The whole egg line up!

Buzzz buzz Granola

Looking back over old posts, I realized it has been quite a while since I last wrote an entry about granola. This is rather odd considering how often I make granola, and I rarely make the same exact granola twice.  The beauty of granola is that you can make infinite substitutions once you have a basic ratio of oats : nuts : sweetener : oil : add-ins in place.  This also comes in handy when you want to clean out your pantry.  In my family, we have something called "fridge soup".  There's no actual recipe; it's just whatever is starting to look a little tired in your fridge plus an onion and some spices, finished by being pureed (or what we call "mix-souped").  Going along with this idea, I think I will dub my granolas "pantry granolas" because I rarely rarely follow a recipe fully; there are always substitutions and additions to be made based on what I have lying around!

Below is my latest granola creation, the idea sparked by a container of hazelnuts and a 1/2 gallon of honey sitting on my shelf.  This granola has an intensely honey flavor, so make sure you use a good honey that you like.  The honey I used came from bees living in alfalfa fields.  It's a really delicious sweet and light honey, which gave the granola some beautiful floral notes.

A towering pile of granola, among what little remains of Nemo's thankfully pathetic visit to my neck of the woods.

Honey Buzzz buzz Hazelnut Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• scant 1 cup hazelnuts, skins removed (buy them blanched or do it yourself) and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup puffed millet (or another puffed cereal)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp honey bzzzzzz
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp nut butter (I used my cashew macademia nut butter, but almond butter would be good, too)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, hazelnuts, puffed millet, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix together the honey, coconut oil, and nut butter.  Microwave for 45 seconds, stirring halfway through.
4. Stir the vanilla into the honey mixture.
5. Stir the honey mixture into the oat mixture.  Stir thoroughly so that everything is well coated.
6. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip or stir the granola around on the sheet.
8. Bake for another 10 minutes, then stir the granola again.
9. Bake for 5-10 minutes more, watching carefully so that the hazelnuts don't burn.  You want the granola to look nicely toasted.  It will still be soft when you take it out of the oven, but don't worry, it will harden into clumps as it cools.
10. Let the granola cool completely and then store in glass jars or air-tight plastic containers.

With this recipe, I had three jars full.  (Not counting all the granola I snacked on off the baking sheet...)

Enjoy plain, by the handful, or over top yogurt or ice cream!

Feel free to subzzzzztitute away!

Savoring winter squash while I still can!

It's hard to believe that it's already February.  While spring is not too far away - what did the groundhog conclude? - the frigid temperatures I have been experiencing here make me think I will be stuck in winter forever.  Will it ever get warmer?

At least there are certain comforts associated with winter.  Hmm comfort categories...FOOD.  I suppose wool socks and voluminous sweaters count as comfort, too, but nothing rivals the comforts that food can bring.  What do I look forward to most in winter?  Squash!  All varieties.  Unfortunately, I'm already seeing the squash quantity and variety dwindle at the farmers market as the vendors sell the last of their reserves.  What will I do when these beauties can no longer be found at the market?

Just as the fantastic summer veggies must come to an end at the end of the summer, so too must the winter ones at the end of the winter.  While I see the dwindling squash count as a promise of spring around the corner - with fields of lush strawberries, bundles of green onions, and stalks of asparagus - I cannot help but be sad.  The only solution is to make the most of the squash while I can.  And I fully intend to do just that!  Here's a lovely butternut squash recipe.

Something that always amazes me at the farmers market this time of year is the incredible greens the farmers are able to grow.  For this recipe, I picked up some dinosaur kale, and last week I also got the most beautiful bag of spinach - dark, turgid leaves with the sweetest little taste; I eat the leaves plain, one by one, just as if I were eating chips.

Dear Mr. Butternut Squash,

I hope this is not our last recipe together of the season, but if it is, I am content knowing that we ended in such a delicious way.  Perfect memories to tide me over the spring and summer.

Love,

Fredeliciosa

Butternut Squash with Kale, Almonds, and Cashews

(Slightly adapted from Oh She Glows)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of butternut squash, cubed (3/4-1" pieces) (one small squash or half a large one, approximately)
• 2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced (I used two mammoth sized cloves of particularly fragrant garlic, and I adored the garlicky-ness)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups of kale, chopped (I used dinosaur/Lacinato)

• 1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly oil a 8x8 Pyrex glass baking dish or an equivalent casserole dish or dutch oven (just something oven safe!).
2. Put the squash, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1/4-1/2 tsp salt in the dish and toss.
3. Cover the dish with tin foil (or a lid if it has one) and poke a few holes in the foil.
4. Bake covered for 35-40 minutes until the squash is tender.
5. Meanwhile mix the almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, 2 tsp olive oil, and 1/8 tsp salt in a small bowl.
6. When the squash is tender, remove the foil/cover and stir in the chopped kale.  Sprinkle the nut mixture evenly over the top.
7. Return the dish, uncovered, to the oven for 8-12 minutes until the nuts are nicely toasted.  Make sure you keep an eye on the nuts during this cooking time so you don't burn them!
8. Remove from the oven once toasty and serve!

This dish goes fabulously with a piece of toast slathered with oozy, smelly cheese or a fried egg and sprout tartine.

Mmm big dish of yummy, colorful goodness!

There is no lack of color, flavor, or texture in this dish! 

Fire escape photoshoot.  Glam?  Edgy?  You decide.

Heehee the squash is practically the same color as my plate!

Some possible substitutions:

-If you are allergic to nuts, any seeds would work.  Pumpkin seeds would be particularly scrumptious, but sunflower and sesame also come to mind.
-If you don't have nutritional yeast, some grated parmesan or pecorino romano would be divine.
-Any leafy dark green could sub for the kale.
-Any sweet, firm squash you can find will work well.  And when good squash are no longer to be found, I imagine sweet potatoes will do.

So many possibilities, so little squash season left!

Truly Hazelnut Rice Pudding

I have been thinking a lot about nut milks recently...blending nuts with water and getting milk, it's rather fantastique.  I have been meaning to try it out, but I don't currently have a "nut milk bag" or another appropriate filter.  (For those of you close to me reading this blog, please take the previous sentence as a major hint...Valentines day is coming up as you know.)  This led me to think, blending nuts with real cows milk would be even more fantastique (and yes, I understand this defeats the purpose of nut milk for vegans, people trying to avoid dairy, etc., but I am none of those currently, so it's allowed).  So with what to use this newfangled "nut milk"?  Rice pudding is the clear answer in my mind!  So creamy, dreamy, the nut flavors would get concentrated and infuse right into the rice.  Going along with the Italian-ness of using arborio rice in my rice pudding, I decided hazelnuts would be my nut of choice.

The result was fabulous!  True hazelnut flavor.  So rich and unctuous, just coating every taste bud in your mouth, each one reacting with "woww".

Truly Hazelnut Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 pitted Mejdool dates*
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, skins removed (I think mine were slightly toasted)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup arborio rice
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp sugar* (I used my vanilla sugar...sugar that has been sitting in a jar with a vanilla bean)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• extra hazelnuts for serving

Directions:

1. In a high speed blender (I used my Vitamix) on the highest setting, blend together the pitted (!) dates, hazelnuts, and milk until very smooth.  This took about 90 seconds for me.  I did not strain the mixture because it was super smooth.  If your blender doesn't get things quite so smooth though, I would suggest straining the mixture so that your finished rice pudding still has a silky texture.
2. Pour the blended mixture into a small saucepan and add in the rice and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 25-30 minutes until the rice is nice and soft and the pudding has achieved your desired consistency.  I like mine goopy...not dry, not running.
4. Off the heat, stir in the sugar and the vanilla.
5. Taste and adjust the seasonings.  I noticed that the taste changed a lot from when the mixture was hot to when it was cold, so when you're adjusting the seasonings, think about whether you're going to serve the pudding hot or cold (if serving it cold, you may need to make tweaks later).
6. Serve topped with chopped hazelnuts.

*I had initially intended this pudding to be sweetened by dates alone, but it was not sweet enough for a dessert with just the 2 dates, so I added a little sugar.  Next time, I will try 4 dates and omit the sugar.  However, this pudding with just 2 dates would also make a fabulous breakfast...the perfect wake-up amount of sweetness for the morning!

Lovely ingredients.  Make sure to take the pits out of your dates!

Rice going into the blended mixture of dates, nuts, and milk.

After about 27 minutes of cooking.  Rice is soft; perfect consistency.

The garnished bowl.

I apologize for the lighting in the next few pictures...less than ideal!

Spoooonful.  Holding perfectly to the spoon, creamy,

Have I enticed you yet?

One more, with better lighting this time, to tie it all up.  Now go make some!

I sit here writing and enjoying my bowl of rice pudding, going back to the kitchen between paragraphs for extra spoonfuls.  Tomorrow, I am going to try adding some cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the rice pudding...inspiration: Nutella.

I also can't wait to try this concept with different nuts.  Almonds perhaps with some cinnamon.  Pistachios perhaps with some cardamom.  Macadamia nuts or cashews - because of their high fat content - would give an extremely creamy product.  Dried fruits, zest, etc., nothing could go wrong with this pudding!