I have a quick one for you this time around. I threw these easy sauteed greens together just a few weeks ago and it has been my go-to side ever since. I’ve been eating it with veggie burgers at dinner and with eggs for breakfast.
It’s a super simple combination of leafy greens with a few toppers to enhance the flavors and make them more delicious.
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Well, look at this. I’m writing a blog post.
I’m probably the most surprised of anyone. My commitment to keeping posts going during the testing portion of my next book turned out to be an unachievable dream. It was impossible.
I still have a lot more writing to do so I’m not sure how much you will hear from me over the coming weeks, but I am here now. And I have a recipe.
Brussel sprouts season is upon us! Every time I think I’ve made roasted Brussels sprouts in every way possible, another idea strikes.
This recipe is super simple and it’s one you will love if you are a tahini fan. If you are unfamiliar with tahini, it is a paste the consistency of natural peanut butter that is made from sesame seeds. A standard ingredient in hummus, it can be worked into everything from snack bars to soups and salad dressings.
Or as it turns out, roasted Brussels sprouts.
My February in photos shows a little bit of what I’ve been up to this month! I hope you enjoy the images!
You might have noticed that it’s been a slow month around here in terms of recipes. If I’m being completely honest, it has a lot to do with a lack of inspiration. I’m feeling a huge drought in cooking creativity. I wish I could blame it on the winter blahs, but in Central California I’m not quite sure you can still use that excuse.
So instead, I’ll blame so few posts in February on focusing on other things like a few client projects and our first trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Some of my favorite photo highlights follow. I hope you’ve had the best February and if spring hasn’t already come your way, I hope it gets there soon!
Last Wednesday, I sat down at my computer and saw the date. January 31.
No joke, my first thought was – I have to start using the oven more!
Let me explain why this is a perfectly logical thing to exclaim in your head when one lives in California’s Central Valley and sees that it is the end of January.
Basically, we are in spring right now. It’s pretty amazing. And it will only last a few more weeks. Soon we’ll blink and 100 F will be back. Once it does, we pretty much have to kiss the oven good-bye until October.
I’m not complaining, but I am preparing myself and trying to remember to take advantage of these cooler temps.
More foods that require baking must ensue.
Remember way back when? To that time when I used to post updates of blooms and blossoms, tiny starts of vegetables and baskets of garden harvests? At that time, I often used random posts here as my gardening journal.
Then we moved, and I failed epically at apartment container gardening.
Looking back, I now consider those gardening experiences to be on both ends of the extreme – a full acre with a 15 by 20 foot garden and then an apartment balcony turned small backyard with nothing but a couple pots.
I do believe I’ve finally found my gardening balance.
While walking the farmers market last weekend, the cutest little heads of cauliflower caught my attention. What is it about mini vegetables that is irresistible?
I’d seen these before and inquired if they were a specific variety. To my surprise, the vendor told me no. They are simply heads of cauliflower harvested early.
Since this was the case, I knew they wouldn’t be around for long so this time I didn’t pass up the opportunity to grab a few. Three to be exact. I asked if they had more small heads and the three I grabbed were the last. Clearly other people have a thing for mini veggies, too.
This meal is quick and easy, and provides a great way to use up seasonal leftovers. It combines spring vegetables with ham and eggs to create a dish that works for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
When you are developing recipes, you never know exactly how much of an ingredient you’ll need until the final dish is complete. This usually results in a fridge filled with things like a few stalks of asparagus, a quarter head of cabbage or a little dish of peas. These are perfectly edible, but often not enough to create a full dish all on their own.
This tangy pickled daikon and kohlrabi salad makes a super simple side dish for spring!
I’m a big fan of pickled veggies. Asparagus, long beans, cucumbers, carrots — pickle it and I love it. Last year, I gave up on pickling for long term preserving. Meaning no water bath pickling, etc.
I just can’t seem to master the art of keeping things crisp, and the batches end up being too large for us to finish in a reasonable amount of time.
So now I’m into quick pickling. A few veggies, a vinegar mixture, a couple hours in the fridge and a manageable amount is ready to serve.
This recipe for carrot and cucumber pickles remains one of my very favorites. If you like pickled veggies as much as I do, this cookbook needs some space on your shelf!
The first time we traveled to Southeast Asia, I completely missed a very important thing about the cuisine.
It’s all about the condiments.
I saw the little bowls of peppers, relishes, chutneys and sauces on our table and I tried one here and there, but it wasn’t until we returned and I researched recipes further that I realized I should have been much more adventurous! Now, I can make a complete meal out of the condiments alone. Sweet, spicy, tangy, pickled, fermented – you name it and I want it.
I’ve become that annoying person at the dinner table who asks a million question of the server. What is that? How is it made? What’s in it? I’ll take any little piece of information I can grab to help me find a recipe so I can make it at home later, or at least attempt to. I always feel a little intimidated because it never seems to turn out just right. But that’s probably because I haven’t really had a reliable resource for recipes. Until now.
