Cauliflower and Celery Salad

I tried to get on the raw food band wagon a few years ago, I really did! My cookbook shelves can prove it. I must have half a dozen of them. Every time I see a new one, I think this one is going to be different. This one will inspire me to go raw…Who am I kidding! There is no way I can go totally raw. I love pizza too much!!! Hahaha!!

But I do love raw salads. Especially crunchy ones like this one. Soooo good! I never thought to make a raw cauliflower salad until I saw this on "Alexandra Cooks" and came up with my own version. Thinly sliced cauliflower and celery, (I used my trusty $10 mandolin  but you can use a food processor or a sharp knife), pumpkin and sesame seeds, feta cheese, lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. This salad really keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator. I had it for lunch the next couple of days.

Cauliflower and Celery Salad

1 medium cauliflower, thinly sliced
4-5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
4-5 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
6 dates, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients. Serve or refrigerate if serving later.

m xo

Fennel and Beet Salad with Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette

My go-to salad dressing is pretty basic: olive oil and vinegar. It's what I grew up with. Sometimes we would convince my mom to buy the bottled salad dressing because we wanted to be like everyone else, but inevitably we would have it once or twice and then go back to our usual oil and vinegar.

I came across this tarragon and shallot vinaigrette recipe awhile ago and filed it away for when I had tarragon to use up. This time it wasn't my tarragon but my sister's, who had leftover from something she made with it. Alexandra, from "Alexandra's Kitchen" blog, suggests you double the batch just to have on hand, well thank goodness I did because I loved it! The tarragon gives it a nice anise flavour and really enhanced the fennel that I made my salad with. I'm planning on making the salad the rest of the week!!

I combined all the ingredients in a mason jar. It was easy to shake up and store in refrigerator.

Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette
(from Alexandra's Kitchen)

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tarragon, finely chopped

Combine vinegar, shallots, sugar, mustard, salt, olive oil and tarragon. Macerate for a few minutes before using.

I just threw this salad together with what I happened to have in my refrigerator. The combination totally rocked!! 

Baby greens

Fennel

Roasted beets

Dried cranberries

Almonds

Feta cheese

 m xo

One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

I came across this pilaf on Food52, the site that I absolutely adore! I can't get enough of this site. Some people read novels in their spare time. I read cookbooks and browse food blogs. Is that wrong?

I usually like to bring my lunch from home when I can and so does my husband. While he is ok with a can of tuna and a green salad, every single day, (may I add), I am not. I don't mind having the same thing for a couple days, especially if it's leftovers from dinner, but John CAN and DOES eat the same thing for weeks on end. Remember the granola bar he has every morning? Hahaha!

I saw this recipe and happen to have all the ingredients on hand and thought it would be perfect for our lunches. I tweaked it a little by deleting the green onions, switching up pine nuts for walnuts, feta for goat cheese (not a fan) and I added dried cranberries. Deliscous and easy. Pack in to-go containers and you have healthy lunches. By the way, I got 3 lunches out of it. But depending on your hunger, you might get 2.

One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups salted water
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper, to taste


Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam for 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, nuts, cranberries and salt and pepper.
Check the quinoa and kale and make sure the water has all been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and tip in the bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Serve warm or room temperature if you are serving right away. I also liked it cold, from the refrigerator.

m xo

Stuffed Zucchini

During the week, I'm always looking for ways to cut down on simple carbs (but not flavour) when I can.This is just a simple recipe for stuffed zucchini that I came up with for last nights dinner. It was very satisfying with a salad.

Stuffed Zucchini 

4 small zucchini

2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small red chili (optional)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons tamari
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.
Slice the zucchini lengthwise. With a small spoon, scoop out the flesh but taking care not to pierce the skin. Continue with the rest of the zucchini and place in a baking dish big enough to fit all the zucchini halves in a single layer. Season the inside flesh with salt and pepper. In the meantime, make the stuffing.

In a pan over medium heat, sauté shallot, garlic and chili in oil until soft. Add ground beef and cook until the pink is gone. Add tomato paste and tamari and cook for a few minutes. Add the spinach and combine until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Stuff the zucchini halves with the mixture. Don't be afraid to pile it on. It cooks down a little in the oven. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Pour 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the dish to create some steam. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. The last 10 minutes uncovered. It is done when you pierce the zucchini with the tip of a knife and it is tender.

m xo

Just Imagine...Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad

Ok, so here's the thing. I really, really wanted to share this salad that I made with the leftover roasted cauliflower because it was that good! There is only one problem. I forgot to take a photo of it. Haha! I'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing. So sorry.

I love these kinds of salads and I rarely recreate the same one again because it depends entirely on what is in my pantry.

I like to include a grain of some sort, in this case quinoa, a vegetable, nuts or seeds for crunch, cheese for some saltiness, chopped herd or two and a little sweetness from dried fruit. Everything is to taste. You can sub the quinoa with any grain you have on hand really. If you don't like cilantro, sub in parsley or dill. Not a fan of almonds? Use pistachios or walnuts instead. Whatever floats your boat. Quantities are not even that important here.

I don't even make a dressing. A squeeze of lemon and oil of your choice.

I really hope you make this salad. It was yummy!

Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower Salad

1/2 head of roasted cauliflower
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup marcona or toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
4-5 pitted chopped dates
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sumac
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons walnut oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

m xo

Shakshuka

Shakshuka! What a fabulous word! I love saying it. Shakshuka!

I also love the word Schenectady…but I digress.

What is shakshuka, you ask?  Shakshuka is a dish of eggs baked in a tomato sauce.

Mexicans have their huevos rancheros. Italians have eggs in purgatory. North Africans have shakshuka.

This is a perfect brunch dish. Be sure to serve it with lots of crusty bread to sop up the flavourful sauce.

Now I have to be honest here. I didn't have feta so I subbed with queso fresco. It was just as fab!

Shakshuka

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cups of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
6 eggs
crumbled feta cheese
cilantro to garnish

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Add the olive oil,

onion, garlic and chill flakes and cook until onion is soft. Add the cherry and crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Make a little well in the sauce and crack an egg in it. Continue with the remaining eggs. Sprinkle a little salt on each egg and cover the pan with lid. Cook on low heat 10-12 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle with some feta and cover again a couple minutes until the feta has melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

m xo