Blueberries, Basil, Balsamic, Oh My!

I just ate the most amazing salad – full of fresh corn, blueberries, basil and quinoa. Although I usually enjoy the result, I tend to cringe at the idea of putting delicious summer fruits into savory things. I’ll throw an apple into anything – but I’m a purist when it comes to farm fresh nectarines, peaches, apricots and berries. I made an exception for blueberries last night while concocting a quinoa salad to bring for my lunch – and the result was divine. Crunchy  corn and sweet blueberries, paired with a mild balsamic and olive oil dressing, laced with just picked basil and tossed with wholesome quinoa. So good.

To create:

1. two ears of summer corn – cooked lightly (boil water, add corn, cook 5 minutes and drain) after your corn has cooled, cut from the cob
2. one pint blueberries, washed
3. 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (boil quinoa in 1 1/2 cups water, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. set aside)
4. small bunch of basil, washed and chopped
5. olive oil, sea salt, balsamic vinegar combined to make about 1 cup of dressing
6. in a bowl, combine corn, blueberries and basil. toss with dressing. add cooked quinoa. enjoy!

I ♥ blondies

There is an adorable cafe in my neighborhood with the most amazing brown butter blondies. A perfect Saturday involves coffee in bed with my sweet, a yoga class finished with a Mary Oliver poem during our final savasana, and a long meandering walk to Volunteer Park Cafe with a dear friend. As the ritual goes, we sit outside (sunshine permitting), sipping iced coffee, splitting an entree, and topping it off with a brown butter blondie, and a chocolate chip/oatmeal/cherry cookie. Divine. Last Saturday I was really craving a blondie, and totally out of luck. They were absent from the pastry case! Determined to re-create them at home, I searched the internet for a recipe that might just produce the amazing results I was hoping for, and settled on a recipe from Blue Ridge Baker. 

blondies

• 1/2 cup butter, browned
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and lightly flour an 8×8 pan. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the brown butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Lying in bed Sunday morning, I nursed my too-many-whiskey-gingers induced hangover with three pints of water, a french press of stumptown and an hour long phone call with mi mejor amiga in New York. She was telling me about her Saturday night, which involved friends, beer, and a karaoke birthday party complete with the most delicious banana cupcakes she had ever had in her life. Banana cupcakes? Of course! Why have I never attempted these at home?! 

I did a little sneaking around the internet and found this recipe on Martha Stewart dot com. Honey cinnamon icing does sound interesting, but I think vanilla buttercream sounds a little bit better with banana cake. I’m curious to see if banana cupcakes are no different from banana bread? Perhaps a little lighter and sweeter? As soon as the bananas on my counter turn from canary yellow to soft and spotted, I’ll give it a go and report back!

the recipe

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture taking care not to overmix. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Frost generously.

Kale and Wild Rice Salad

Applying for grad school sucked up so much of my time and energy that I seemed to have settled into a rut eating out while I am at work, and giving in to sugary sweets in the afternoon. Gross. Now that the process is almost completely behind me, I’m committing to getting back on the wagon – making salads to bring for my lunches, going to yoga several times a week, and running (a lot or a little). Summer is on the horizon, and there is no room for winter layers in my wardrobe. 

This amazing salad is based on the Emerald City Salad from the PCC deli ( a co-op in the Seattle area). I used to work near a PCC and eat it several times a week for lunch. I quickly learned that it was much more affordable to make it myself…

You will need:

Kale
Chard (I like to use rainbow)
Parsley
A fennel bulb
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell Pepper
About 1 C wild rice

Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

To Assemble:

Bring 2 C. water to a boil and add the wild rice. Bring to a boil again, lower the heat, cover, and allow to simmer for about an hour or until all of the water has been absorbed.

Finely chop the kale, parsley and chard into a large bowl. Chop the peppers and fennel and set aside.

Make a dressing using the minced garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.

I like to allow my rice to cool a bit, but not completely so that it wilts the greens a tiny bit. Then add the peppers, fennel and dress. Add salt, pepper and more lemon juice if necessary to taste.

Exploring Seattle: Volunteer Park Cafe

Until Monday, when we were graced with fleeting snow flurries, Seattle was experiencing some lovely Spring weather. Sunny, with highs of 60 degrees and cherry blossoms in full bloom. 

Saturday morning was no exception, and I celebrated the perfect Spring weather over an outdoor brunch with friends at Volunteer Park Cafe. Stumptown coffee, delicious baked goods, sunny sidewalk tables and friendly servers = cafe perfection.

The three of us shared the caramelized banana brioche french toast, brie, apple & lavender honey panini and the spinach & goat cheese quiche. All three were divine – the quiche coming in last because the thin, too crispy crust was difficult to eat, and left something to be desired. The atmosphere was perfect for sitting on the sidewalk, sipping iced americanos and chatting. Had there not been a line,  I could have sat their all day enjoying the sunshine and atmosphere. I am amazed I’ve been living in Seattle for almost ten years and have just now discovered this gem.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Onions and Sage

I learned to properly pronounce gratin (thats grah-tahn, folks) at the Greens Restaurant in San Francisco a few years back. Greens is a lovely vegetarian restaurant where vegetarian chef superhero Deborah Madison cut her teeth. I found this recipe in my favorite of her books, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. 

This gratin is rich and satisfying – without being weighted down by too much butter and cheese. We enjoyed it with a salad of  roasted beets and greens, and a delicious Paso Robles syrah. This is my adaptation of the dish… an approximation of my process in the kitchen Monday afternoon.

• 1 medium butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cubed
• 1-2 large onions, thinly sliced 
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh sage
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated fontina
• 3/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup flour
• olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. add sage and thyme and cook until lightly caramelized. season with salt and pepper.
3. lightly oil the bottom of a gratin or casserole dish. create abase layer of caramelized onions. 
4. toss squash cubes in flour and brown in a skillet. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper. Layer over onions in casserole dish. 
5. Warm vegetable stock and pour over layers – cover with 1/4 cup grated cheese.
6. Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

O(mega) boost!

This was really tasty and I’ve been meaning to post about it since I made it for dinner two weeks ago! Its a long story, but somehow I got stuck with a two year subscription to Self. No offense to Self or anything – but I have a list of magazines I’d rather have delivered to me for two years. Note to self (me, not magazine): be more careful with “three free issues!” offers. especially when debit card numbers are involved. However, last months issue came complete with a tasty dinner plan! Salmon Florentine with Quinoa Pilaf! Delicious. I’ve linked to their recipe, since you’re already reading this, I’ll tell you how I made it too. 

• Four salmon fillets (budget friendly trick – you can get frozen wild salmon at trader joe’s for a decent price, and since you’re putting the tasty florentine mix on top before you bake it, I really don’t think fresh salmon would make a huge difference)
• One bunch spinach, chopped (Self calls for frozen spinach, which I find to be absurdly expensive. Fresh is where its at.)
• 1 shallot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 sun dried tomatoes, chopped (these are pricy if you buy a whole jar of them – I live near a co-op and bought 6 from the bulk bin for less than a dollar! Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes before chopping and you’re good to go!)
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup part skim ricotta 
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

If you’re using frozen salmon, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Rinse and place in baking dish. Heat oven to 350. Saute spinach until wilted. Transfer to a colander and allow to drain. With olive oil, saute shallots and garlic. Add crushed red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add drained spinach, and ricotta. Divide mixture and place on top of salmon fillets. Bake 15-20 minutes (until fish is cooked through). 

While your salmon is cooking, prepare your quinoa pilaf! You’ll need:

• 1 cup vegetable broth 
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet
• fresh parsley, chopped
• olive oil

Bring broth and quinoa to a boil. Turn heat to low, and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Saute onion in olive oil. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and toss with onions, parsley, and toasted pine nuts. 

Impress your mister with your fish baking skills! Enjoy!

Snow Lake

Made the most of my three day weekend and headed out to Snow Lake friday to enjoy the crisp Autumn day.

The huckleberries and vine maples were a vibrant red against the hillside. If you’re in the area and haven’t done this hike, you should. Your heart likes the 1300 foot elevation gain, and its worth it to get over the hill and down the other side to sit by the lake and take it all in.

The hike only took us 4 hours round trip, including about a 30 minute rest for lunch, but once you reach the lake you feel so much farther from the insanity of the city. I am very much an urban girl, but I do like  to abscond into the wilderness from time to time.

Things that I want but cannot buy…

 

Current obsession #1. This riding boot is gorgeous! I’m considering doing another consignment run just to see if clearing out my closet (again) will be lucrative enough to buy these beauties! The Frye Melissa Button Boot is boot perfection. Perfect heel. Perfect color. Perfect height. Love. 

Current obsession #2. I am less likely to clear out my closet for this coat, but wow. A and I stopped by the evo tent sale this weekend and mistakenly went inside. Thats where I saw this gem. The blue color makes my eyes pop and the coat is slim and fitted – so you feel like you’re walking around in a sleeping bag, but, thank god, you don’t look like it! Amazing.

Quinoa spaghetti with braised kale

A and I strolled through the farmers market after brunch on Sunday to find the tables piled high with the abundance of fall. The towers of peppers, winter squash, kale and chard were inspiration for meals to come. I’ve been especially aching for some dark leafy greens – sometimes salad greens just don’t cut it. Luckily, I stumbled upon this delicious recipe on Whitney’s blog inspired by Bon Appetit. I had picked up some quinoa spaghetti and was anxious to try it. I quickly made a note of the things I needed to pick up on my way home: lemon, kale, garlic and parmesan. How delightfully simple. Added bonus: I ran into my siiiiiiister in line at the grocery store! Its so fun living in the same neighborhood as your siblings! Post workout, we invited our friend L to stay for dinner, and the three of us chatted while I threw this together. I thought this was excellent (A and L liked it too!) and only found myself wishing there had been more delicious greens to balance out the pasta. Next time, I would double the kale. 

• 1 medium onion, diced (I had a half a large onion in the fridge, and used that instead)
• olive oil
• 1/2 pound spaghetti (quinoa spaghetti for gluten free!)
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped (more if  you fancy. I just noticed the bon appetit recipe calls for 8 – but I was making this on the fly)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup parmesan 
• 1 bunch kale (washed, drained, stems and ribs removed, cut crosswise)

In a large pot. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta. In a large skillet, saute onion until translucent. Add garlic, cook over low for 2 minutes. Add kale, cover and stir occasionally. I like my kale a little on the firm side, so I only allowed it to cook for about 7 minutes and then removed it from the heat. Check on pasta. This was my first time cooking with quinoa pasta, so I spent quite a bit of time testing it. When pasta is finally done, drain and return to pan with a little olive oil. Add kale and parmesan and toss well. Finish with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!