eggs on sunday

Why rainbow, you ask? Well, it sure is colorful — and it’s a lot less of a mouthful than “black bean, mango, and jicama quinoa with red and green cabbage, cilantro and lime vinaigrette.” Whew.

I suppose I’ve been on a bit of a quinoa kick lately — last week it was the lemon-scented quinoa with asparagus; this weekend I thought I’d make a quinoa salad to have both as a side for our Cinco de Mayo dinner, as well as for lunches later on in the week. (more…)

So here’s the thing.

As many of you probably do, I have a loooooong list of recipes on my “to cook” list. Some of these come from my food magazine subscriptions (BA, Gourmet, CI), some of them come from the time I spend browsing around epicurious.com, many of them come from food bloggers whom I regularly read (I simultaneously feel overwhelming love and just “overwhelmed” at my Google Reader list, many days.) And don’t even get me started on my cookbooks: this past year I finally tried to get my act together and put post-it flags on the recipes I wanted to try. I had grand plans to go through all of my 100+ cookbooks and do this. Months later, how many have I gotten through? Maybe six. Sigh. And flagging the recipes doesn’t mean I have any structured plan to actually cook them; oh, no. I’ve made baby, baby steps of progress through a handful, but I have a long way to go.

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If you were to ask me to list some of the defining moments in previous years that helped fuel my growing passion for all things food-related, in the top 3 would probably be my first trip to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. When I lived in Ithaca for four years as an undergrad at Cornell, I only discovered the market later in my college career…but I tried to make up for lost time. I actually remember getting up early on a Saturday morning when my roommates were all still asleep, just so I could go down to the market and get some fresh vegetables before I started all my work for classes! It was the IFM where I first saw and tasted an heirloom tomato — it was a Striped German. The sweet taste, luscious, dripping juice, and brilliantly marbled yellow and red color is imprinted permanently in my memory. My time in Ithaca also began my devotion to organics; not only did the Ithaca Wegman’s have a good selection of organic produce (this was in the late 90’s, and our supermarket back home for sure did not have any organic produce), but all of the farms coming to the Farmer’s Market were selling organically grown produce. My family always had a modest kitchen garden growing up, but there was no farmer’s market anywhere close to us — the availability of all these new foods to try was just so incredibly enriching!

Fast forward about 10 years: after graduating, living in a few different states, working at a few different jobs, meeting and marrying B — and cooking all the way — I am back in Ithaca, and couldn’t be happier. Besides being just a gorgeous place to live (as they say, “Ithaca is gorges”), we’re blessed to have a real abundance of farms (not just vegetable farms: fruits, meats, eggs, poultry and dairy products as well), local artisans, bakeries, etc. in the area, many of which come to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. While the Market has only been back now for a few weeks, in the spirit of Earth Day today, I’ve taken a few photos that I thought I’d share with you of my trip around the market! (more…)

A few months ago, I received the cookbook Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont. I had heard of Shelburne Farms before (you may have seen their cheddar cheese in your local market), but I had no idea it was so much more than a cheesemaker. From their web site: “Shelburne Farms is a membership-supported, nonprofit environmental education center and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont. Our mission is to cultivate a conservation ethic. Schoolchildren, adults, educators and families come here to learn, while casual visitors may enjoy the walking trails, children’s farmyard, inn, restaurant, property tours and special events. The farm serves as an educational resource by practicing rural land use that is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable.” The cookbook describes their maple sugar bush and sugar shack, the livestock they keep, their cheesemaking process, their organic gardens, and their Inn — I’m hoping B and I can make a trip out there this summer; it sounds right up our alley!

Though I’m only just beginning to make my way through their recipes, it is a fantastic book…I usually stick post-it flags in cookbooks to mark which recipes I’d like to try, and this book is rife with flags! Its chapters are organized around quintessential “Vermont” ingredients: milk and cheese, maple syrup (both sweet and savory recipes), early season greens, lamb, mushrooms, game, fish, pork, root cellar vegetables, and apples. Being raised in New England, these ingredients are many of the ones I grew up on and love. Besides being chock-full of really delicious-sounding recipes, it’s also peppered throughout with stories and profiles of local farmers — so the book is just a great read in general.

This salad comes from the pages of the book, and is the “house salad” at the Inn at Shelburne Farms. (more…)

The February issue of Bon Appetit had a recipe for a spinach salad with avocados, oranges, and an asian-style dressing with ginger and sesame oil. In other words, it had my name written all over it. I’ve made it twice for us in the past week!

Like the two-tone green of the avocados against the emerald-green spinach? I sure do. The oranges are nice and sweet against the mild bite of the ginger in the dressing, and of course, I love anything with sesame oil as an ingredient! And to boot, between the avocados, oranges, spinach and ginger, this is one super healthy salad.

Ingredients

Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2008.

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) Asian sesame oil
1 navel orange
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Directions

Rinse and spin dry the spinach and set aside.

Peel and pit the avocado, cut it in half, and slice it into 1/2 inch wedges.

Stand the orange on its end and, using a sharp knife (chef’s knife is best), cut off the peel and pith, following the curve of the orange. Halve the orange vertically and slice it into half-moon shapes (see pictures above.)

To make the dressing, place the minced shallots and ginger in a small bowl. Add the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and vegetable oil, and whisk together. Season with coarse salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place the dried spinach leaves, avocado chunks, and orange slices in a large bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over, and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning again to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4.

I adapted this recipe from one in Gourmet magazine, using feta instead of blue cheese and omitting the bacon (though if you wanted to use the bacon, it certainly would be yummy!) I mix the finished vinaigrette right into the lentils, then just spoon some of that lentil mixture onto a bed of baby spinach and top with some crumbed cheese. Some pecans would be a nice addition to this salad if you’re in the mood.

Ingredients

3/4 cup green lentils
7 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 cups baby or regular spinach leaves
1/3 cup feta or blue cheese
1/3 cup pecans (optional)

Directions

In a heavy saucepan cover lentils with water by 2 inches and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain the lentils, and rinse them under cold running water to stop the cooking. Transfer them to a bowl and toss them with 2 tbsp vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

In another saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until hot and cook the shallot, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in water, cherries, sugar, and remaining 5 tablespoons vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, roughly 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Mix vinaigrette into the lentils. To serve, divide the baby spinach among the plates. Top each bed of baby spinach with a scoop of the lentil-cherry mixture. Top each salad with crumbled feta or blue cheese, and pecans (if using.)

Note: you can make this ahead for lunches: just store the lentil-cherry-vinaigrette mixture separately, and top spinach with the lentils and cheese when ready to serve.

Makes enough for 4 salads.

This is one of my favorite salads. It’s great to make if you have some leftover cooked beets, but even if not, roasting the beets takes only about 20 minutes. I love how the sweetness of the beets tastes against the tart, tanginess of goat cheese. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the salad at the end…yum!

Ingredients (for 2 main-course salads)

For the salad:
2 medium-large (2 1/2 in. diameter) cooked beets, cubed or cut into wedges
1 bunch greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I use a small bunch of kale, but you could use any kind of salad greens you like; just use enough for two servings)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 of a 4-oz. log of goat cheese, crumbled (roughly 4 tbsp)

For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
pinch each of salt and pepper

For the balsamic reduction:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

To cook the beets:
There are 2 ways I like to cook beets — baking or roasting.

To bake the beets, cut off the greens (if they’re attached) and leave about an inch of stem above the beet. Place the whole beets, skin still on, in an 8×8 baking pan. Fill with water just so it covers the whole bottom of the pan, then cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (you kind of just have to check; it will take more or less time depending on the size of your beets.) Once the beets come out of the oven, let them sit with the foil still covering the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, remove the foil and peel the beets - the skins should be so loose that you can just slip them easily off. Be prepared for your hands to get really, really bright pink - it washes off afterwards! Cut up the peeled beets into 1/2 inch cubes.

Or, to roast the beets, cut off the greens and peel the skins off the beets with a vegetable peeler. Cut the raw peeled beets into 1/2 inch chunks, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, until the beet chunks are tender.

To assemble the salad:
First, get the balsamic reduction going. Place 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the vinegar has reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes (should yield about 1 tbsp.) Turn off heat and set aside until your salads are ready.

In the bottom of a large bowl, make the dressing by whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add washed (and spun dry) greens of your choice directly to the bowl (on top of the vinaigrette). Using a large spoon, toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Divide the dressed greens among two plates.

Now, top your greens with the beets, crumbled goat cheese, and walnuts.

Finally, drizzle your balsamic reduction over the tops of the salads.

This is our “house salad” — we love its simplicity, freshness and bright taste (and uber-nutritious kale!) Lacinato kale, also called dinosaur kale, tuscan kale, or black cabbage/cavolo nero has a wonderful flavor and nice texture. If it’s not available, you could use green or red chard - I would stay away from the curly kale, as I find the leaves are a little too tough.

Ingredients

1 small bunch (about 1/2 pound) Lacinato kale
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
2 1/4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz coarsely grated ricotta salata (1/2 cup) - this is pressed ricotta; it comes in wedges in the cheese section. You could substitute feta for a similar taste.

Directions

Working in batches, cut kale crosswise into very thin slices (or, just tear the leaves off the center rib into bite-sized pieces.)

Whisk together shallot, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined well.

Toss kale and ricotta salata in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat well, then season with salt and pepper.

Love, love, love this salad from the Barefoot Contessa. It’s a rainbow of colors, and fantastic either as a side salad or on its own, as a main course salad. You can adjust the level of spiciness by using more or less jalapeno (and leaving out the cayenne pepper if you don’t like it too hot!)

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home.

Ingredients

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (2 limes)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (leave out if you don’t like it too spicy)
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Directions

In a large bowl, place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne (if using.) Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the bowl and gently mix to combine.

Add the chopped avocado right before you’re ready to serve the salad.

Serves 4-6.

A light summer salad - delicious on a hot day.

Adapted from Gourmet, September 1995.

Ingredients

1 cup lentilles du Puy* (small French green lentils) or brown lentils
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup couscous (I usually use whole-wheat couscous)
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 bunch arugula, stems discarded and leaves washed well, spun dry, and chopped
2 cups vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 pound feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)

Directions

Place the lentils in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, simmering until they’re tender — about 15-20 minutes. Drain and transfer them to a bowl; stir in 1 tbsp vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Let them cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring 1 1/4 cup water to a boil in a separate saucepan and add the couscous and salt. Turn off the heat and let the couscous stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl; stir in 1 tbsp oil and cool completely, stirring occasionally.

While the lentils and couscous are cooling, whisk together the garlic paste, remaining 2 tbsp vinegar, remaining 3 tbsp oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Once the lentils and couscous have cooled, add the lentils and dressing into the large bowl of couscous. The salad tastes best when you chill it a few hours before serving.

Just before serving, stir in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6.