Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Almonds and Mint

Summer fruits aren’t wasting any time bursting onto the outdoor dining scene. Whether it’s a picnic, BBQ, or first dinner on the patio; berries, melons, pits, and citrus are rallying to stake their presence in any and every warm-weather seasonal dish. Enough of limiting us to breakfast sides and post-dinner desserts, they scoff.  Chilled soups, bold salads, hearty grains, grilled mains…. we want in on it all!

Oh so sweet but equally determined, they are collectively led by the mighty strawberry. The most represented fruit on the summer savory dish circuit, we don’t skip a beat seeing a strawberry-balsamic glaze or goat cheese-strawberry salad on a main menu.  Which is why the juicy red berry shines in this herb-flecked, warm-toned summer Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Almonds and Mint.

A side salad (add a protein like grilled chicken or shrimp to elevate to a main) that promises a warm welcome at any communal outdoor gathering, this quinoa salad is the perfect potato-salad-pick-me-up thanks to its bold, refreshing flavors and novel pairing of well-known parts. Scallions, cucumber, almonds, strawberries, feta, parsley, and mint are nothing new; but tossed all together…does it work? Oh, you bet it does! No bite tastes the same with the infinite combinations of each chopped ingredient, transforming flavors as you dig deeper into the salad for the next surprising gustatory pop.

This recipe is the first I’ve used with champagne vinegar; a subtle, citrus acidity that delivers a much milder taste than it’s apple cider and white wine vinegar cousins.  While I appreciated the subtleness, I think next time I’d use a bolder vinegar: for salad bites that didn’t contain the naturally acidic strawberry, I felt that the dressing could’ve used something more. I also forwent the almond oil only because I didn’t have any, but imagine that its nutty flavors would’ve helped meld the flavors even more seamlessly. (A smart calorie-conscious move would be to half the oil, no matter which kind you use—3 tablespoons is plenty!)

Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Almonds and Mint (from PureWow)

Makes 6 side-servings (second helpings are inevitable, so if you're hungry, feeds 4)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
3 tablespoons almond oil*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil*
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (can substitute apple cider or red/white wine vinegar)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 strawberries, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 scallions, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
½ English cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons thinly sliced mint leaves

*As I noted above, I recommend using no more than 3 tablespoons oil total.

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan set over high heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed all the water, about 12 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer the quinoa to a large baking sheet or plate and spread it out to cool to room temperature. This step is optional. If you are eating immediately, a slightly warmed quinoa tastes wonderful too.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk the almond oil with the olive oil, champagne vinegar and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled quinoa with the strawberries, scallions, feta cheese, almonds, cucumber, parsley and mint. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the salad. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Pops

A few months back, I wrote a guest post on Advice for a Twenty Something about two kitchen tools no quarter-century cook should be without. Guidance still standing, I want to amend the list to add one more essential gadget for the warm weather: popsicle molds, a must-have for these Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Pops.



You can buy fancy ice pops mold at Bed Bath and Beyond or Crate and Barrel, but there are plenty of home-made options that work just as well. Small paper cups with popsicle sticks, or ice-cube trays are perfectly adequate. (In fact, paper cups are a must for this recipe—see my note* below!)

A cold popsicle on a hot summer day is the definition of happiness. Don’t you have the fondest memories of being a little kid, licking and slurping and running around, a ring of syrupy color around your mouth flaunting the evidence?  Pure sugar, on a stick—sometimes with a joke at the end! It was heavenly; childhood at it’s best. Just thinking about it brings contentment.

But just as our palates have grown up, so too can our popsicles. There are so many different ways to create a more sophisticated rendering of the beloved frozen treat. Starting first and foremost with the responsible adult thing to do: cutting back on the sugar. With sugar, not fat, being blamed as the deadly villain in America’s obesity epidemic, the mounting evidence on the perils of added fructose is compelling to say the least.  In 1990, Americans consumed an average of 4 teaspoons of sugar a day—today, the average is 22! (The American Heart Association currently recommends 6 teaspoons a day for women, and 9 for men.)

So whether it’s adding alcohol over sugar to switch that cocktail to a “poptail”; flowers, lavender or elderberry fora floral flair, pairing fresh herbs with naturally sweet fruits, or a jolt of coffee or chai for an afternoon pick-me-up; there's a cornucopia of possibilities to flourish that frozen flavor—sans added sugar.

Even for the nostalgically special classics. This Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Pop brings it back to basics, channeling my inner child, lover of the fudgsicle. (Must! Have! Chocolate!) A more health-conscious, sugar-controlled version of the beloved traditional, this recipe uses frozen bananas to help create the appropriate texture without adding cals, and sugar is limited to what exists in the chocolate-hazelnut spread. (True to my eat-less-sugar credo, I am not using the words chocolate-hazelnut spread and Nutella interchangeably, as most of us associate automatically. This is because 2 tablespoons of Nutella contain 20g of sugar, while Justin’s all-natural, organic Chocolate Hazelnut Nut Butter only has 7g.) With only 4 ingredients total, this recipe provesthat less is more when it comes to producing the perfect popsicle.

So there you have it: a dairy-free, antioxidant-loaded, healthy-fat, potassium-full fudgsicle that produces the same blissful euphoria as that firecracker pop from when you were a kid. Happy licking!

*If at first you don't succeed...
This recipe took two tries to make. I failed the first time using plastic ice pop molds. I froze the pops overnight, and when I went to remove them from the molds...only the stick gave. In a frantic race against the clock, as the pops were rapidly melting, I used a spatula to remove the batter, but the result was not pretty. (I will spare you the photo of the failed pop, because it looks icky, and I don't want to ruin your appetite for these delicious frozen treats.)
I realized that chocolate-hazelnut butter does not freeze as solidly as water/fruit bases, and thus is not ideal for purchased molds, because it will not produce the right density to emerge in one piece. For these pops, the best way to go about them is to pack the batter tightly in bathroom-size paper cups, and peel the cup open after freezing. This way, the shape stays in tact because you are removing the mold from the pop, rather than removing the pop from the mold. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Pops (from Chocolate-Covered Katie)

Makes 6-7 paper cup mold fudgsicles

Ingredients:

- 3 frozen bananas

- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

- 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut butter (Justin's chocolate-hazelnut or chocolate-almond butter, Nutella, or homemade Nutella)

- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth in a food processor or blender. Divide evenly into mini paper cups, insert popsicle stick, and freeze overnight for fudgsicles. (Alternatively, eat immediately as ice-cream.)

Sources:

Lustig, Robert H., MD. "What You Need to Know About Sugar." Time Ideas. Time, 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 May 2013.

Spicy Tequila-Lime Fish Tacos

I know, I know...I'm tardy to the party! (Or in this case, fiesta.) Cinco de Mayo has come and gone, but I'd like to consider the beloved south of the border celebration just an appetizer to satiate our palates for an entire spring of Mexican inspired cuisine, starting with these Spicy Tequila-Lime Fish Tacos.

The crux of these fish tacos is freshness and simplicity; a hallmark of springtime cooking. As I sat at my Cinco de Mayo potluck on Sunday, stuffing my face taco after taco as if I might never eat again, I had a slight epiphany: why do we gear up for this holiday as if it's the only time of the year we can eat great Mexican food? We should be eating great Mexican food all the time! Indeed, quite the easy-breezy weeknight dinner does the fish taco make: the fixings are quite budget friendly (corn tortillas, salsa verde, queso, black beans), and prep assuredly easy. My favorite part is putting it all together, assembly-line style: delicately stuffing the mini taco yields such delightful anticipation for the two-bite fiesta of flavor to follow!

On to the recipe: as the tequila lends a subtle sweetness and depth to the marinade, I looked for the perfect balance of citrus, spicy and zest to compliment it. I found it in the following ingredients: lots of fresh lime juice for the acidity, jalapeño, chili powder and cumin for the spice, and fresh garlic and cilantro for an herby tinge. Lastly, a touch of triple sec to sweeten everything up a bit and bolster the tequila. Hmm...you've covered all the ingredients for a margarita in this marinade. Yep, grab some sugar, and I highly recommend making one on the side!

Keeping in mind first and foremost the "light and refreshing" aspect of these grilled fish tacos, I chose to top mine with a mild salse verde, queso fresco (or feta cheese), and thinly sliced avocado. You can use flour tortillas as an alternative to corn, but corn tortillas are whole-grain and thus a more health-conscious option than a refined flour tortilla. They also offer a chewy sweetness that pairs nicely with the alcohol-marinated fish.

Other optional add ons: try shredded cabbage or spring radish slices for a veggie-full filling, or light sour cream (turn it into a "chipotle aioli" by adding in a minced chipotle pepper and dash of honey) for creamy toppings.

Spicy Tequila-Lime Fish Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 juicy limes)
3 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec (optional)
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 lb white, flaky fish (mahimahi, tilapia, cod)
8-12 corn tortillas
salsa verde (I like Trader Joe's or Desert Pepper's salsa del rio)
queso fresco or low-fat feta cheese
optional garnishes: 1 avocado, thinly sliced; red onion, thinly sliced; shredded cabbage, black bean mash; lime wedges

Directions
1. Mix together lime juice, tequila, triple sec, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and chili powder in a small bowl.  Place fish in a large shallow bowl and pour marinade over to coat. Cover bowl. (Alternatively, pour marinade into a large ziplock bag and add fish.) Place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours, turning once.

2. To grill: Heat grill, and remove fish from marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until fish is done and lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. To pan-saute: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Remove fish from marinade, season with salt & pepper, and cook until fish is done and lightly browned on each side, 4-5 minutes.

3. Prepare corn tortillas. Stack tortillas on a plate, separating each tortilla from the next with a water-dampened paper towel. Cook in microwave for 1 minute. (Alternatively, warm tortillas on grill along with fish, or in sauté pan with a quick midst of olive oil, 1 minute on each side.)

4. Assemble tacos. Coarsely chop fish, and divide evenly amongst tortillas. (If using black bean mash, spread on tortillas first.) Next add shredded cabbage and/or red onion. Top with a scoop of salsa, crumbled cheese, avocado slices, and cilantro for garnish. Serve with lime wedges.

Sweet and Smoky Beet Burgers

This Sweet and Smoky Beet Burger recipe comes straight out of my newly purchased cookbook, The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia. Believe it or not, I’m not a big cookbook buyer: I guess I can partially blame this on the lack of storage space in my closet of an apartment, but mostly it’s because I seek out a lot of my recipes from cooking websites and blogs. (Plus my two staple cookbooks, The Moosewood Cookbook and American Medical Association’s Family Health Cookbook, are so wonderfully comprehensive.)

That being said, what drove me to purchase The New Persian Kitchen? Specifically, to pre-order and carry home upon its arrival, hugged tightly in my arms, like a proud, excited child who had just acquired her very first homework assignment?

The descriptors in this recipe title —sweet and smoky—hold a clue. What drew me to The New Persian Kitchen was the juxtaposition of savory and sweet in almost every recipe.  Riddled with the aromatic fresh herbs one would expect from Middle Eastern cooking: dill, mint, parsley, cilantro, and tarragon; a heavy reliance on onions and garlic, and unique regional spices such as turmeric, dried limes, and lemony sumac; this cookbook has it’s savory and spice side down pat. But what really intrigued me were the natural sweet flavors it was always paired with: pomegranate molasses, chopped dates, dried cherries, rose petals.  The result is a balance of “hot” (gardi) and “cold” (sarmi) flavors, as Louisa describes, which play off each other in a most harmonious and flavorful fashion.

Case in point: these delicious burgers! Smoky paprika, sautéed onions and garlic, and earthy lentils and brown rice make up the bulk of the “meat” of these burgers, which are dotted with jewels of golden raisins, sweet beets, and nutty walnuts. (Yes, spend that extra $3 and buy golden raisins. It’s worth it!) These bursts of sweet flavor offer a pleasing, unexpected jolt that make this “veggie burger” anything but your plain ol’. Upgrade your choice of condiment by replacing ketchup with a saucy fruit chutney or cool mix of plain Greek yogurt, diced cucumbers and tomatoes stirred in red wine vinegar, and generous sprinkling of fresh dill.

This recipe makes 8 servings. I recommend making the entire batch and refrigerating (for up to 5 days) or freezing the remainder for another meal. Between the lentils and brown rice, the burgers take a bit of time to make, so get your prep done in one fell swoop to eliminate the time commitment for next round!

Sweet and Smoky Beet Burgers (from The New Persian Kitchen)
Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil, plus extra for searing
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 cup peeled and grated beets (from about 1 small beet)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup walnuts
½ cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
½ cup cooked green lentils, rinsed and rained
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice, at room temperature
1 egg

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet, warm the grapeseed or olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to soften and caramelize, about 10 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the beets, garlic, walnuts, raisins and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beets are starting to brown and the walnuts are toasted, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the onion-beet mixture to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until chunky. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the lentils, sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
4. Replace the bowl of the food processor (without washing) and blend the brown rice with the egg until a coarse puree forms. Add the rice mixture to the onion-lentil mixture and mix with your hands until combined. Divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape each one into a patty just under 1 inch thick.
5. In a large cast-iron skillet set over medium heat, warm enough grapeseed or olive oil to coat the bottom. Place the patties in the skillet and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Gently flip the patties and reduce the heat to low. Cover the skillet and cook the patties until they are warmed through and have a firm, golden-brown crust, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the patties from the skillet and serve immediately with desired accompaniments.

Veggie Loaded Huevos Rancheros

This Veggie Loaded Huevos Rancheros recipe is inspired by my brunch at Esperanto last Saturday.  Sitting blissfully at a corner table next to large open windows on this warm(er) spring day, my two friends and I were thoroughly content as we made our way through fresh guava mimosas and a delightful huevos rancheros plate layered with crispy tortilla, soft eggs, and ample black beans & pico de gallo. As we stood up to leave, I felt a feeling I've never felt before after a leisurely weekend (and slightly hungover) restaurant brunch: I was perfectly satisfied. No bursting at the seams, cant-wait-to-unbutton-my-jeans i'm soooo full feeling. I might actually be hungry again in a few hours.

I attribute this feeling to the nature of Latin American cuisine (Esparanto is Brazilian). While American (most notably, Southern) style brunch is often loaded with heavy cheese, pork-stuffed in every place possible, and bursting with butter, carbs and cholesterol, the Latin American reliance on spice rather than fat makes it a much lighter option in the brunch circuit. Instead of reaching for butter or syrup to top off our meal, the ultimate huevos rancheros condiment is hot sauce; packing a fiery punch at 0 cals. The hallmarks of huevos rancheros—fiberous black beans, veggie-chocked pico de gallo, whole-grain corn tortillas—are totally low cal and healthy; and deserve the credit for saving you from the (third trimester) food baby a lot of us feel after brunch. Of course, the healthiness of your meal will vary depending on the amount of oil and cheese used in its preparation, which is why making your own version at home is the perfect way to go!



Inside my own kitchen, the ravenous vegivore inside me hungered for more green. To satisfy my feisty craving, I did a quick saute of diced zucchini and onion to add an extra veggie-filled layer to my huevos rancheros. The result was exactly what I was looking for: the zucchini not only paired seamlessly with the pico de gallo and beans; but gave me more to munch on (sans added cals) as I stacked my tortilla high.




You can cheese up this recipe to your own liking—I recently realized that I am not as big of a fan of cheese (GASP) as some of my other friends. Don't get me wrong, I like cheese a lot! And I used to say I love it until I saw the sheer delight that my peers consume blocks of it with and realized well...I don't like it THAT much! For this recipe, it's fun to sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese atop each layer—after the egg, then veggies, then salsa, then beans—and finally one on top. That being said, be mindful of how much you use—I recommend no more than 1/4 cup a serving of low-calorie cheese. Because I am just a cheese liker and not a cheese lover, I only sprinkled my cheese atop the egg as it was cooking for melty yummy perfection.


The spiciness of this recipe begs for a sweet brunch cocktail alongside it. I loved my guava mimosa; how about a blood orange screwdriver? Muddled fruit caipirinha? Morning sangria? Which one will you choose to accompany your picante breakfast plate?

Veggie Loaded Huevos Rancheros
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2/3 cup diced tomato
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tbsp diced onion + 1/4 cup (for zucchini mixture)
1 zucchini, diced
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup drained black beans
1/2 cup shredded cheese (reduced fat cheddar or Trader Joe's Shredded Lite Mexican Blend)
2 large whole wheat or corn tortillas
2 eggs
Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Prepare pico de gallo. Mix diced tomato, jalapeño, 2 tbsp onion, cilantro, lime juice, and generous sprinkle of salt & pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Prepare zucchini mixture. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and 1/4 cup onion and saute (stirring frequently), uncovered, until onions soften and zucchini begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and set aside in a small bowl.

3. Prepare tortilla. In a toaster oven, bake tortilla at 425 degrees until it browns and crisps, almost to the point of burning. (If you don't have a toaster oven you can do this in a regular oven or crisp via stovetop in the large skillet over high heat, covered, turning over once.) Place tortilla on serving plate.

4. Cook eggs. Spray large skillet with cooking spray or coat with an olive oil mister over high heat. Crack eggs over pan. When edges start to brown and crackle (about 1-2 minutes) gently flip eggs over, being careful not to break the yolk. Cook for another 2 minutes, and then set atop respective tortillas.

5. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of cheese over the egg. Divide zucchini mixture evenly over two tortillas, and add another tbsp of cheese. Add beans to each tortilla along with a third tbsp of cheese. Top off tortillas with evenly divided pico de gallo, and garnish with last tablespoon of cheese. Serve with hot sauce, if desired. Buen Provecho!