Fig Spinach Salad

I have never used fresh figs in my cooking other than eating them as fruit. Seeing fresh figs in the produce aisle at Whole Foods I brought some home. As I scoured the web for easy, fun recipes, this one was perfect since I had all the ingredients. Best of all it used spinach greens (remember my 1lb spinach box?)

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
6-8 figs sliced into wedges
sliced red onion
sliced red bell pepper
feta cheese
pecans and sliced almonds

Dressing:
olive oil
lemon juice
honey
minced garlic or I used some garlic oil
fresh ground pepper

Mix all salad ingredients in a bowl. Whisk equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil with garlic and a tsp of honey. Top salad with pecans, feta cheese and drizzle dressing over salad before serving.

Note to self: I think next time I will skip the honey in the dressing. Figs are inherently very sweet so a tangy flavor to the dressing will provide better taste to the palate.

What’s in my lunch box?

Mediterranean Spinach Farro Salad

I came across farro a while ago and bought some at the local Whole Foods store and even dug around online for some healthy and tasty recipes. That was then. The bought farro sat in a bottle on the shelf for a few months, until this week 🙂

By chance I came across this fun recipe at Williams Sonoma and for a change I had all the ingredients and it’s what was for lunch today. Here is my adapted version of it:

Ingredients:
2 cups of baby spinach
1-2 radishes sliced thin
1/4 cup farro cooked
1/4 yellow pepper sliced
1/4 cucumber peeled and sliced
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1-2 tbsp capers
feta cheese
some walnuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil and add the farro. Reduce heat, cover and cook the farro until the grains soften and all the water evaporates. Add more water if necessary to cook the farro. The farro can be cooked the previous day (which I did) and refrigerated. Set aside.

Whisk the lemon juice and oil with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl mix all the salad vegetables and cooked farro. Top with walnuts and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing before serving.

Turned out pretty good. Farro is quite chewy and filling. Next time I think I will also add some raisins or dried  cranberries.

Banana Coconut Muffins

It’s been a while since I baked muffins. With a surprise party lined up tomorrow for my co-worker seems it is the perfect time to try these banana coconut muffins from Fresh Tastes Blog!

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs (as always I used the organic egg whites)
1/2 cup coconut (I used unsweetened shredded)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil (I ended up using canola)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp flaxmeal and/or hemp (optional)
3-4 ripe bananas

Mix the flour, coconut, and baking powder. Add oil to brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and whip together. Smash the banana and whip. Add the dried ingredients and mix well.

Lightly grease cup cake tray and fill each cup with 3/4 batter. Bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degrees pre-heated oven.

Delicious!

Egglant Curry

Ingredients:
4-5 Chinese Eggplant
1 cup cashews
5-6 garlic cloves
a pinch of Turmeric
a pinch of Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 tsp tamarind powder or dried mango powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1-2 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste

Cut the long eggplant into two inch pieces. In a pan add oil, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and fry the eggplant till it is almost cooked. Take it out and in the same pan add curry leaves, green chilli cut long , garlic cut into long pieces, smashed garlic, add more oil if necessary and fry for a bit.  Add 1/2 cup whole cashew halves and half cup cashew powder, chilli powder, coriander powder ( 1 spoon ) and ground tamarind or dry mango powder. Add back the almost cooked egg plant into it let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with some fresh cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!

A recipe by Shahna Kothapally.

Moons & Stars watermelon, Confetti squash and Lumina pumpkin

Bhel: A little of this and a little of that

Ingredients:

1 bowl Poha (puffed rice) 
1 cup Sev
1/4 Potato (boiled & peeled)
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/2 medium tomato (chopped)
1-2 tbsp tamarind chutney
1-2 tbsp mint chutney
Optional: grated carrot or beets

In a bowl mix the poha, sev with a touch of salt, sugar and paprika. Toss in the chopped onions, tomatoes and diced potato. Add the mint chutney and tamarind chutney. Mix well and serve immediately.

Enjoy as an afternoon snack on a lazy Sunday afternoon with some chai 🙂

See also:

Mint Chutney
Tamarind date chutney

Salsa Cream

 

INGREDIENTS:

1⁄2 cup sour cream

2 Tb. fresh lime juice (one lime)

2 Tb. fresh or bottled salsa

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix all together and serve cold. A dollop is excellent in black bean soup, other soups, tacos, nachos.

EnjoyO!!!

White Pizzas with Arugula w/ easy homemade dough

Ingredients

For the pizza :

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Kosher salt

For the oil:

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:

• 3 cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella (7 ounces)
• 11 ounces creamy goat cheese such as Montrachet, crumbled

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• 8 ounces baby arugula

Directions

For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in the bowl by hand (I did it by hand and worked great although recipe calls for mixer) or in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of the flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the garlic oil. Place 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each parchment-lined sheet pan. (If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.) Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with Fontina, mozzarella, and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, whisk together 1/2 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and serve immediately.

Or make the dough and add anything…your choice of sauce, toppings, kitchen sink….dough is great for breadsticks too!!!

EnjoyO!!!

Thanks to Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa!!!

Lemon Bars

LOTS O’ LEMONS

Ingredients

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Eat and give away…do not refrigerate.

Thanks to Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa!!!