Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa

I shouldn't complain. I really shouldn't.  Our kitchen is quite lovely, especially for a city apartment.  I've heard about (in fact, I've cooked in) some tiny spaces that barely fit one or two people.  We actually have a table in ours and have managed to fit 15+ folks in the room (standing, of course).  For me, the real challenge comes with the light. If you're just eating in there, it's fine... but for those of us who obsessively take pictures of our food, well, a well-lit kitchen is key.

Rarely do I photograph dishes in our kitchen, instead I move things out to our living room or our back deck to get the shots. It often means I need to get creative, shooting things close up or using textured backgrounds to make it pop.

If I need to work on a bigger project, I pack up bags of props, my lenses and any ingredients and I take a trip to my mother-in-law's to use her newly renovated kitchen.  The light in there is magnificent and with all the beautiful appliances, I get a little spoiled by the experience.

This is what I did just last week on a day when I needed to do a shoot for a client and wanted to also work on a dish for the OXO "Very Vegetarian Recipe Challenge," which I'm really thrilled to be a part of. The guidelines for this competition are as follows: use three of the six OXO gadgets they were so generous to send participants to make a vegetarian dish that can serve at least 2 people, be made in 30 minutes or less, and incorporated veggies, a starch/grain, and dairy. Sounds easy, right? Well, we also couldn't use certain things, like blenders, a Dutch oven, or my favorite kitchen appliance, a food processor (WAH!!!!). But, you know what? When forced to think outside the box, you tend to do your best work and, I have to say, I think this was one fantastic salad.  In fact, I plan on putting this on my Thanksgiving menu.  Yeah, it was that good.

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa

Tools Sauce pot Mandoline slicer (from OXO) Whisk (from OXO) Salad dressing container (from OXO) Sauté pan

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients 1/2 cup uncooked red quinoa 1 cup veggie broth (low sodium is fine if preferred) 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed 1 honeycrisp apple 2 cups mixed greens, rinsed and dried 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt

Dressing Ingredients 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1/2 a lemon Kosher salt

Instructions

1. To cook the quinoa, add the veggie broth to a pot and bring to a boil.  Stir in the quinoa, cover and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer until all the veggie broth has been absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad.  Place the greens on a platter.  Using the mandoline, thinly slice the fennel bulb and apple. Drizzle a little lemon juice on top of the apple slices so they don't brown.  Decorate the greens with the fennel and apple and set aside.

3. Next, make the dressing by whisking together the greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and honey.  Transfer the yogurt mixture into a salad dressing shaker and add 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

4. Once the quinoa is done cooking, open the pot lid and let rest for 2 minutes.

5. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a medium sauté pan.  Set over medium-high heat.  Once the oil has heated, add the quinoa to the pan and spread out across the surface.  Refrain from stirring as this will allow the quinoa to crisp up.  After 2-3 minutes, give the quinoa a stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Remove from heat.

6. Using a spoon, sprinkle the quinoa on top of the sliced fennel and apple.  Drizzle dressing on top and serve.

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing and A Cookbook Giveaway

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing from Gaby Dalkin's Absolutely Avocados

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing from Gaby Dalkin's Absolutely Avocados

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing from Gaby Dalkin's Absolutely Avocados

It's hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that I met Gaby for the first time.  The introduction occurred at the Big Summer Potluck last July but it was in the car ride there that Lisa first mentioned her name.

"Who are you rooming with?" I asked her.

"Her name is Gaby, pronounced GOB-ee not GAB-ee. She's a blogger from LA."

"Do you know anything else about her?"

"Nope."

"Well, hopefully she's not a weirdo!"

Ok... I may have made up that last line. If I didn't say it out loud, I was definitely thinking it.  But as I got acquainted with Gaby, I quickly learned that she wasn't a wacko.  In fact, she was immediately welcoming and completely open and honest (even going so far as to express her love for colonics.  Sorry Gaby, I had to say it). We spent hours drinking wine together in the hotel room that night. Instant bonding.

I also got to hear about the book she was working on about avocados. Now, I must admit that I rarely purchase cookbooks that focus on a single ingredient. But, hell, who doesn't like avocados? They're damn expensive here in the Northeast and this makes me even more jealous of the plentiful supply of beautiful (and cheap!!!) avocados that West Coasters get to enjoy.   Then again we do have $4 lobsters here, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Back to Gaby. Well, what else is there to say except that I adore her.  She's kind-hearted and incredibly talented and I'm honored to call her my friend.  We spent this last weekend together... she picked me up at LAX when I was there for The Big Traveling Potluck and rushed us off to her favorite restaurant for lunch, followed by a fun-filled car ride to the event. Let's just say that I almost peed myself because I was laughing so hard.

Anyway, the book is out and I recommend that everyone orders it right away... especially if they want to get it in time for Cinco de Mayo.  With that being said, Gaby and the publishers of Absolutely Avocados have graciously offered to do a giveaway of the book here!  Details on how to enter follow, but if you're anxious to get your hands on it, head on over to Amazon and buy a copy. Here are the details:

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling us how you like to eat avocados (on their own, in a dish)?

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only . Giveaway will end on May 6th 2013 at 12:00 pm EST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected.

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing from Gaby Dalkin's Absolutely Avocados

Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing

modified ever so slightly from Gaby Dalkin's Absolutely Avocados

makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1 Hass avocado

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce, leaves washed and dried

Croutons

Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise.  Remove the pit from the avocado and discard.  Remove the avocado from the skin and place the avocado flesh in a food processor bowl.

2. Add the olive oil, Parmesan, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic cloves, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.  Pulse for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.  Adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

3. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

4. To assemble the salad, line a platter with Romaine lettuce.  Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce, top with croutons and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.  Grind some fresh ground pepper over the salad.  Serve.

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing from A Thought For Food

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing from A Thought For Food

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing from A Thought For Food

I know I'm strange. I like weird things like fish sauce and smoked salmon and whitefish salad and pickled herring and gefilte fish and all those things that make the majority of the population go Ewwww.  Oh and I can't forget anchovies.  I'm pretty much sold if a dish has anchovies in it.  Salad Nicoise remains one of my favorite dishes to order.  It stems from my childhood, on nights when my father had to work late and my mom and I created large platters with stacks of seared tuna, green beans, hard boiled egg, olives and anchovies (the latter two are on my dad's list of despised foods, hence why we made it when he wasn't around).  If I had a last meal... you know, if we were playing that game where we said what we'd want our last meal to be if we were on death row... that salad would be on the list (along with sushi, cheesecake, linguini with clam sauce, and a warm, freshly baked baguette served with a wedge of triple creme cheese).  I just can't get enough of the textures, the bright flavors, and the depth that the anchovies bring to the salad.

On the day that I made this dish, I did my very best to save some for dinner.  However, my will power failed me and half the bowl quickly disappeared, which is often the case in these situations.  As wonderful as this is on its own, or would be paired with roasted salmon, I can attest that it works when tossed with pasta, served hot or cold.  No matter what you do with it, though, you can't go wrong.

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing from A Thought For Food

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing from A Thought For Food

Bean Salad with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing

serves 4 as side dish

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs green beans, rinsed and ends trimmed

1 - 16 0z can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 anchovy fillets, from can, drained of oil

1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1.Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Cut the green beans into 2 inch pieces.  Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain green beans and rinse under cold water. In a serving bowl, mix together the green beans and cannelli beans.

3. Using a mortar and pestle (or with a bowl and metal spoon), blend together the anchovy fillets, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, garlic clove, and parsley.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the smashed anchovy mixture, the remaining lemon juice, olive oil, and red pepper flakes.  Season dressing with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to coat.  Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.