Cauliflower Salad, Grilled Radicchio, Anchovy Dressing
I am absolutely exhausted. Chefdom is hard. And, I only do it 3 days a week. Cooking and ballet have fallen by the wayside, and long nights of sleeping and cat naps have become the norm. I need to get my act together, pretty soon. This is not a sustainable pattern for me, and my day job. Read the rest of this entry »
My Zuni Roast Chicken Salad
This week’s goal was to spring clean. And. It. Did. Not. Happen. Oh, yes. I had lofty goals. I printed out the infamous Martha Stewart Spring Cleaning check list that includes hand-washing your dishwasher and dusting your refrigerator coils. I even cleaned my house for 3 hours on Tuesday to jump-start to process, but that ended up in a 2-hour upper back spasm. Read the rest of this entry »
Nearly Spring Salad
I always get confused when my favorite food magazines start to tempt me with a SALAD on the cover. Am I the only person who thinks this is weird? Yet, I still pick up the magazine and think, “Oh! Yum. A SALAD.”
What happened to braised short ribs with gremolata, a huge stack of buckwheat pancakes with a maple marionberry sauce, or a rich citrus-glazed cake.
Nevertheless. I have to say it worked. I bought the magazine on Saturday and perused through some of the recipes and it left me with this conclusion: Spring produce is coming, and I want a SALAD.
What do you crave when Spring arrives?
Citrus Salad with Star Anise
I have always loved the shape of a star anise. It is a staple in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking but, I never found a reason to use it. I have a recipe for a “Chinese Simmered Star Anise Pork” from Donna Hay or “Duck in Star Anise Broth”, but I thought I would first experiment with the spice in a simpler dish that wouldn’t cost me a fortune to throw out if it was unsuccessful. This happens often by the way!
This is a simple salad that takes minutes to make that could be the “star” at a brunch or delicious as an after dinner palate cleanser or even a light dessert.
I found myself just snacking on it right out of the refrigerator.
Now I am more willing to make some of these recipes I have been so intrigued about, but fearful that the anise flavor would be too powerful. It is subtle and sweet and may be my new favorite spice not only for the flavor but also for the presentation!
Do you guys have any excellent recipes for a dish with Star Anise? It can be an entree or dessert! Hit me with it!
Grilled Shrimp, Nectarine, and Corn Salad
After our Vail tour, our company has the opportunity to work with the famous Twyla Tharp for two months while she is choreographing new world premieres for PNB. I have been honored to be able to be learning one of her ballets, but I have to say that “Twyla-ing” drains me by the end of the day. Last week, I was going to bed at around 8:30 every night.
Today, however, I did not have it as rough, so I actually felt that I could stay up past 8:00 and cook. After spending about an hour at Whole Foods due to weekly grocery shopping, and Monday rush hour, I finally made it home as I anxiously awaited to cook again. I had no idea that I would become THIS ADDICTED to cooking.
I saw a version of this recipe in the August Bon Appetit. It caught my eye because of the ingredients. All of the vegetables and fruit are actually in season in August.
Tomato Feta Salad
Ahh! Warm Weather. That means outdoor grilling, sunbathing, and fresh summer salads. It also means TOMATOES!
Tomatoes are probably one of my favorite foods. I like them all ways, all kinds, all shapes, all sizes. However, the bittersweet and ironic part of my love affair with tomatoes is that my husband is not a huge tomato fan. He only eats them cooked or in salsa. Basically, he only eats them when they don’t taste like tomatoes. There goes my options.
I decided to make this salad for a family get together that we had over the weekend. I hoped that Erik would give this salad a try….and he did. We are making progress!
Mache with Apple, Bacon, and Hazelnuts
After 5 weeks of afternoon naps, a daily walk with Cashew, grocery shopping in the morning, and mini-vacations, I am finally back to work.
It was brutal. I had been taking ballet class over the layoff to stay in shape, but nothing prepares you for an 8-hour day of rehearsal in pointe shoes. Ibuprofen was a staple with the morning coffee.
Coming back to work always starts with a week of fresh dinners. I feel when my body is trying to get back in shape, it just needs light, clean food.
I started out the week with a shrimp salad with mango and glass noodles, and then a farmer’s market style salad with asparagus and new potatoes. But, by the end of the week, I was done with too many vegetables. I needed something satisfying and indulgent.
Enter: Bacon, Hazelnuts, and Goat Cheese.
Roasted Red Onion, Pine Nut and Mesculin
I am constantly looking for a new salad that does not consist of blue cheese, cranberries, and pecans. However, that salad happens to be Erik’s all time favorite. He is not a tomato and cucumber salad eater, so I have had to learn to be extremely creative. This recipe is the product of that creativity, and the desire for something new.
Steak with Caribbean Salad
Corn is in season right now. They are selling it for the bargain price (ha!) of 2 husks for a dollar at my local Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods). So, because the corn looked so fresh I decided to search for a recipe where it could be the focal point. I found the salad recipe at www.cookinglight.com, and decided that a steak would compliment the side dish very nicely. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the black beans in this recipe but it was good without (what can I say…I am a flake sometimes).
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
4 steaks of your choice to grill, recommended 1/2 lb. per person
Steak seasoning and Olive Oil to coat steaks
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ears fresh corn, husked
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 jalepeno, chopped (ribs and seeds removed if you don’t like spice)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
1/8 tsp. cumin
1 large mango, chopped
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups mesculin greens
Preheat a grill. or grill pan to medium high heat. Season steaks with steak seasoning, or a generous amount of kosher salt and cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cook steaks 3 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. (I like mine medium rare. Also, remember that your steak has to rest for at least 10 minutes after you cook it to distribute the juices!) Once you finish cooking it, put it under a tin foil tent and let the yummy juices soak back inside the meat. If you skip this step, your steak will not be as succulent.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat as well. Add garlic and saute for 15 seconds or until you can smell it. Stir in corn and cook for 4 minutes or until brown. (My suggestion is to let the corn brown by leaving it in the bottom of the pan and searing for a couple of minutes and not stir it. Then stir it again and let it brown some more. ) Add red onion, red pepper and jalepeno. Saute 2 minutes until just heated through. Place corn mixture in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients except mesculin greens. Stir to combine.
Serve steaks with mesculin greens topped with the corn salad.
