Kale, Quinoa and Roasted Mini Pepper Salad

Inspired by @kalememaybe’s quinoa and roasted mini pepper salad with crispy chickpeas, roasted red onion, feta, dill, and honey lemon vinaigrette

Make the dressing in the serving bowl: 3 tablespoons of olive oil; 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon of honey; juice of 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic, grated, or finely chopped); 1/2 teaspoon of cured sumac; and 1/2 a teaspoon of dried oregano

Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to it’s instructions

Remove large stems and chop 1 lb of Tuscan kale

Toss both quinoa and kale with the dressing and set aside for a few hours (or overnight)

Arrange 1 red onion, 1 rinsed can of chick peas, and 1 lb of mini bell peppers on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and sumac and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes; allow to cool

When ready to serve, add the roasted onions, chick peas, and peppers to the kale and quinoa, and also add 1/8 to 1/4 of a lb of crumbled feta and 1 lb of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut length-wise

An End of August Rainbow Salad

Approximate quantities: 4 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 8-10 ounces of sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise; 2 large heirloom tomatoes; kernels of 2 ears of corn; and just about a pint of Loaves & Fishes potato salad

Fig and Fennel Salad

Still making this fig and fennel salad that I had years ago at June Wine Bar; it also works well with pears if you can’t find figs.

Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 1 lb of fresh black figs, quartered; about 1/2 cup of maracona almonds, roughly chopped; about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated; and about 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped drizzled with @ooliveoilandvinegar’s champagne vinegar, the juice of 2 lemons, olive oil, salt, and pepper

A Cozy Kitchen’s Mixed Fruit Cobbler

I saw Adrianna Guevara Adarme, aka, @acozykitchen’s Peach Cobbler Reel the other day and I was like, “have please” — I only had about 1 lb of peaches on hand so I made a mixed stone fruit and berry version and I made, like a few, minor procedural tweaks, also somewhat based on what I had on hand, but it is absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to make it again

FILLING:
2 pounds yellow peaches, or 2 lbs of mixed stone fruit — or in my case 2 lbs of stone fruit and berries
1/4 cup brown sugar — or in my case, 1/4 cup coconut sugar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt

TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:
First, make the filing: In a large bowl, add the fruit, brown sugar, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Toss it all together until combined. Allow it to sit and macerate 6-8 hours at room temp, or 12-24 in the fridge.

Then, when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, grease or butter a baking casserole dish that’s 9×6 or something comparable. — I used a 10 1/2” stoneware pie dish, thanks, Mom!

Then, make the toping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon and add the milk, butter and mix until combined.

Add the filling to your prepared baking dish, holding the liquid back — There is no need to go crazy about this, just use a slotted stone, or make an effort to hold the liquid back while you fill the baking dish because macerating and holding the liquid back will brings out the flavor of the fruit and prevents the need for tapioca or cornstarch

Pour the topping on top of the filling. It’s ok if some of the filling is peaking through or it’s not a totally perfect on top.

Transfer to the oven and bake bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve warm with cold vanilla ice cream

An I’m-Not-Cooking-Tonight Summer Salad with Roasted Peanuts and Peanut Dressing

Another salad inspired by Sue Li’s Cucumber Salad With Roasted Peanuts and Chile, a salad I’ve made so many times over the years, and made so many variations on that I’ve had to make a “cucumber salad” tag.

Approximate quantities: About 6 Kirby or Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; about 6 radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 large carrots, sliced into thin disks; a pint of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut lengthwise; 1 large tomato, diced; and 1 avocado, cut into thin slices, and about 1/3-1/2 cup of roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing: For the dressing: 2 tablespoons unsalted peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek — I actually didn’t use sambal this time, my son doesn’t really like spice so I left it out, and added some Blank Slate chili oil separately

Serves 4 as a side, or 2

Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main, over rice.

An I’m-Not-Cooking-Tonight Summer Fennel Salad

Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 2 d’anjou pears, thinly sliced; About a 1/2 cup maracona almonds, chopped and about 1/2 cup parmesan, shaved or grated dressed with the juice of 2 lemons, a sprinkling of a citrus white wine vinegar or I any simple, neutral vinegar, like apple cider, olive oil, salt and pepper

It’s also good with 1/4 cup or so of parsley, roughly chopped, but not necessary

It’s better if you can make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge—the fennel gets more tender, everything absorbs

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Molly Baz' Orzo Al Limone

This is a really great, super easy, poor man’s risotto from Molly Baz’ book that was excerpted on Cup of Jo. I totally get how cookbooks are supposed to give you new ideas and be aspirational and all that, but I also think that cookbooks are just not written for the person who’s doing 137 other things in a day and also making dinner. I.e., what’s the fastest, easiest, most efficient way to make this recipe? With the least dirty dishes and how can I maximize my time here? Maybe everyone doesn’t cook this way? Maybe other people like making a great big mess and taking the time to cook? Well. In an ideal world, yes, I’d like to take more time. But until I have a kitchen assistant or a fully staffed test kitchen, least messy, most efficient way to make something is always, always what I care about. So, without further ado, here is my tweaked-for-efficiency version of this recipe.

From Molly: Spaghetti al limone — a classic and supremely simple Italian pasta dish composed of lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan — gets a fresh take, featuring orzo instead of the spaghetti, which results in a dish that’s somewhere between risotto and macaroni and cheese, and I think it’s pretty special. The name of the game here is to avoid overcooking the orzo; leave it slightly al dente so that it doesn’t turn into a big pot of mush.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium yellow onion or 2-3 shallots or a big handful of chives
2 lemons
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 cup orzo
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Finely chop 1 yellow onion — or blitz it in a mini food processor.

Set a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove and add the onion, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the zest of 1 lemon, cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is softened but not yet browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 1 cup orzo and toast, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Stir in 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and generous grinds of black pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the water comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until most of the water has been absorbed (there should still be some liquid at the bottom of the pot), 8-10 minutes.

Taste the orzo; it should be al dente but not crunchy.

Finish the orzo: Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter — I didn’t think this extra 2 tablespoons of butter is necessary, but if you like it extra buttery, by all means — 2½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese, zest from the 2nd lemon, and the juice from one or both lemons, depending on your taste.

I’d also note that this is a great recipe to prep or mis-en-place, you can set up with pot with the onions, lemon zest, butter, and olive oil, measure out the orzo and parmesan in the afternoon, and then leave it until 20-30 minutes before you want to eat

Nancy's Salad but Make it Spanish

I written about how I’ve made this recipe many, many times and about how I make it slightly different way every single time — in the fall and winter I use roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes, I frequently added artichokes, experimented with other Italian cheeses, omitted onions, made the vinaigrette, not made the vinaigrette, added cucumbers, carrots, and other things I’ve had on hand, and used dramatically less than 1/2 of pound of cheese and salami. Oh and I always crisp the chickpeas. None of this matters; it’s amazing every time. This salad as is or as a jumping off point is, obviously, a genius recipe.

This time, I did something totally brand new, I made it with Spanish chorizo and manshego and I roasted the chick peas for 20 minutes at 400 degrees with a generous sprinkling of garlic powder, smoked pimentón paprika, and sweet pepper paprika, and I added artichokes, and so yeah, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that it was delicious!

Approximate quantities: 2 head of little gem lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 heads of Belgian Endive, leaves separated; 1 large carrot, sliced into thin disks; 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size; equal amounts chorizo and manshego, I used about 4 ounces of each, julienned; a 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, sprinkled with garlic powder, smoked pimentón paprika, and sweet pepper paprika, and crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan; and about 8 ounces of artichoke hearts, quartered drizzled with olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper

Serves two as a main.

A Nigella-ish Salad

I set out to make a Greek-ish Salad, I was ended up making a Nigella-ish Salad: A mix of lettuce, raw and grilled vegetables, and her moonblush tomatoes and halloumi bites.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of red romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 2 kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 2 Italian artichokes, quartered or cut into eighths, depending on their size; 1 grilled red bell pepper, roughly chopped; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; about a half of a pint of moonblush tomatoes; and about 6 slices of crisped halloumi drizzled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice

Serves 2 as a main.

A Kitchen Sink Salad

Approximate quantities: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumber, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1-2” cubes, and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, 1 medium watermelon radish sliced into thin crescents, 1 lb of ground turkey browned with scallions and red chili flakes, 1 cup of cooked rice, and 1 16-ounce can on black bean, drained drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, and hot sauce

My only note about assembling this is, I browned the ground turkey — actually my Mom did — just before we were going to eat, and then once it was cooked through, she added 1 cup of cold, cooked rice and the black beans to pan to warm them and bring the flavors together and then we tossed this mixture warm into the salad.

Serves 4 as a main.