Na'ama's Fattoush

It's not often that you'll hear me saying that I crave salad, but the Levantine salad, Fattoush, is something I'm always in the mood for. There's something about the lemony, minty dressing that I can't get enough of. Loaded with chopped vegetables and toasted {or stale} flatbread, it's very much like another favorite salad of mine, Panzanella, also known as, Italian bread salad. In both cases, the crispy bread is softened by the dressing, adding substance to an otherwise light dish. It can really be a meal in itself.
My love for this salad was in overdrive during my recent pregnancy, but I wasn't making it myself. Instead, I was buying it at one of my favorite Middle Eastern spots, and while their version is delicious, now that I've started getting a grip on my life, it's time I got busy in the kitchen making my own.
A fantastically gorgeous cookbook that's been calling my name helped get me back in my blogging boots. Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, is one of the more spectacular cookbooks I own. The photography is unreal, and each page has something even more delicious looking than the one before. However, this recipe for Fattoush was the one that needed to be made first.

Years ago, I made another version of Fattoush here. While also very delicious, it's quite different from this one. I've never had Fattoush with a creamy, "buttermilk-like" dressing such as this one...which was a large part of why I wanted to try it. You can opt to buy store-bought buttermilk to save time, but I followed the recipe and made my own by combining plain Greek yogurt with milk. It takes several hours for the bubbling action to take place, but if you plan ahead, you can make it the day before, and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Instead of using stale pita bread, this recipe calls for Turkish flatbread...but you could certainly substitute pita, or even naan, if you so desire. I love the Middle Eastern flatbreads from Trader Joe's, so that's what I used. I cut the flatbread into triangles and toasted them briefly to crisp them up, but leaving them out overnight to stale would have worked too. Before I added the flatbread to the salad, I broke the triangles into bite-sized pieces.

Farro & Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Fennel

My pregnancy food cravings this time around have run the gamut -- everything from the stereotypical pickles and ice cream {not at the same time} to sweets and chocolate milk. But I've also been craving healthy foods too. In particular, green vegetables {spinach, broccoli, or edamame} and anything tart and tangy {barely sweetened kefir, granny smith apples, and pomegranate seeds} have been topping the list.
It's a challenge some days to eat as healthy as I would like because there isn't always time to cook. But that's what makes salads such as this one a great option. It can be made ahead of time and at the ready whenever the urge strikes - and it makes a great packed lunch too. I had been on the lookout for some wholesome and substantial salad options when I found this recipe within the pages of a recent Williams Sonoma catalog {believe it or not, it's actually a great place to find recipes!} and knew I would love the combination of fennel and pomegranate.

However, as much as I try to love quinoa, I'm not the biggest fan of it on it's own. I like grains with more texture and chew, and because of that I find quinoa to be a bit wimpy on it's own {unless you're eating it as a breakfast cereal}. But paired with a grain like farro, it's a different story.
If you're not familiar with farro, it's the Italian name for the grain, emmer wheat - which is quite similar to the more commonly used wheat berry, or kamut. All are varieties of hard wheat with different names because of the region they're grown in, or the type of wheat plant they're harvested from. But I find them interchangeable in most applications, so if you have a hard time locating farro, feel free to substitute wheat berries.

Savory Roasted Tomato & Manchego Clafoutis

This month's issue of Whole Living magazine has the most exquisitely delicious looking spread of healthy breakfast recipes - all of which are gluten-free and written by Aran Goyoaga, of Cannelle et Vanille. I have a feeling I will end up making every one of them at some point, but I started with this recipe, which had me instantly intrigued by the list of ingredients alone.
I am not very well-acquainted with French cooking, but I did know that a traditional Clafoutis {pronounced klafuti} was a cake-like dessert made with fresh cherries. This savory, and eggier version was new to me, but reminded me of one of my favorite egg based casseroles - a strata.

I also have a few cherry tomato plants that have managed to remain alive and producing fruit, even as we enter October {I didn't have quite enough for this recipe, but I supplemented with some store bought grape tomatoes I had hanging around}. I was eager to use them as the main ingredient in something special, and this was the requisite recipe.
Instead of making mine as one larger casserole, I loosely halved the recipe and divided it among a pair of 4-inch skillets. This produced two main-course sized portions, but could have easily been stretched to four if being served alongside other brunch fare.

Farmers' Market Pasta Salad with Spinach Pesto

As much as I love doing guest posts, I had recently sworn off doing any until I could get caught up on my own blog. Yet, just days after making this resolution, I received a guest post invitation from the folks at Bldg 25. I happen to be a follower of the blog, and a big fan of the clothing brand, Free People, which the site represents. If you're wondering what a clothing company's blog might have to do with food, hop on over, as you'll be pleasantly surprised to find blog posts about everything from diy projects to beauty tips, and much more.
Being a fan, I could hardly say no {I was also quite flattered to be asked!} - so I got to work developing this recipe, as part of their new series titled Living Local, which "explores the different facets of living a mindful locavore lifestyle". When given the option, buying local is always my preferred method when choosing the foods we eat, and I am quite lucky to live in an area that has some of the most extensive and plentiful Farmers' Markets around. 

For this recipe, I paid a visit to the Westport Farmers' Market, which happens to be one of my favorites. Not only because it's large, with a vast selection of locally grown produce, but also because they're committed to selecting vendors who sell organic, and non-GMO foods only. This results in one potential downside for me, in that there are so many beautiful items to choose from, I end up buying more than I intended to! As case in point, after arriving with the intention of buying one bunch of greens, this trip yielded two bunches of mizuna {one red variegated & one green}, a bunch of spinach, a bag of mesclun greens, and a small container of red orach micro greens...not to mention the items I purchased which were unrelated to this recipe. When I got home and mulled over some ideas, I decided to incorporate all of the greens in a pasta salad dressed with a pesto made using fresh spinach.

I love traditional basil pesto, but frankly I'm not the biggest fan of having it over pasta. Mostly because I find it can be too overwhelming a flavor when eating so much of it. I prefer using basil pesto in other applications, such as drizzled over fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, dolloped on homemade pizza, or substituting it for mayonnaise on a sandwich. This inspired my interest in making a pesto with a milder favor, that I could enjoy over pasta, and which allowed the ingredients served with it a chance to stand out as well.
I began by swapping out the basil in favor of fresh spinach, which is not only a notably milder green, but also a significantly less expensive one. Another change was the oil I used. The slightly bitter flavor of olive oil can stand up to bold-flavored basil, however, it's not as well suited for spinach. So, after experimenting with some neutral-flavored oils that I thought might work well with spinach, I decided the best match was grapeseed oil.
Finally, another component of pesto that I usually always have on hand, is good Parmesan cheese. But the day I made this, I happened to have a block of Grana Padano in the fridge. This turned out to be a blessing, because I actually loved it for this recipe. In fact, I might go as far as saying I preferred it.

Grana Padano is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano in many ways, but some of the ways they differ are in texture, flavor and price. Grana is typically less expensive, the flavor is less salty and intense, and it has a slightly softer texture. In keeping with my goal of a 'less-overpowering' pesto, it worked very well. Try playing around with some locally-grown greens for this pasta salad...it's really about using what's available to you. Enjoy!
Some more of my Pesto favorites - Traditional Basil Pesto | Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken | Roasted Tomatoes with Pesto | Roasted Almond Ricotta Pesto with Olives | Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Strawberry, Granola & Yogurt Parfaits

I've been wanting to post this delicious, healthy treat for a long time now. I actually almost didn't, because things like this don't really require a real recipe, right? They sort of don't. But even though it's not a technically challenging meal to make, hopefully this post will serve as the inspiration you need to go make one!
The inspiration I needed to finally get this post up here for you was my son's fourth grade class. This past week and a half the students at his school have been busy taking their Connecticut Mastery Tests and each year the parents are rounded up to volunteer their healthy snack making skills. It's hard to make sure each kid in the class has a balanced breakfast on test days, so having a Mom in charge each morning helps spread the good nutrition throughout. It's amazing how rough hours of testing can be on 10 year olds - or any aged person, for that matter. Having a healthy, preferably protein packed breakfast, or morning snack, before testing can make a big difference in how well their brains perform that day.

The first day of testing was my turn. Unfortunately, I completely forgot about it until the morning of! We'll blame it on mommy brain. I jumped in the car with the kids, scrambling for some ideas on what to bring...it had to be something I could buy from a store at that point.
The idea of bringing greek yogurt parfaits came to me - so we ran to grocery store and picked up some Greek yogurt, a fruit plate and some plain granola. I set up a little 'parfait' bar in the classroom and helped all the kids make one for themselves.

I was unsure of how they would like them, as I think many kids who are used to fruit flavored yogurt, which tends to be super high in sugar, don't necessarily transition well to plain yogurt. I brought some vanilla flavored too and maple syrup as sweetener, just in case - but I was amazed by how many of the kids liked the yogurt as is.
When I picked my son up from school that day he told me that everyone loved the snack and many were asking if there was more to be had. That same afternoon, my little guy wanted some for himself too - and it was that day when the 'yogurt, granola and fruit after school snack' phase began.

Since then, it's become a cataclysmic disaster when we run out of plain yogurt. I've been buying the big huge tubs of Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt - which is by far my favorite yogurt brand. Not only do I love the texture and taste, but I also love that it has 23 grams of protein per cup! However, you can use whatever brand, or type of yogurt you'd prefer...it doesn't need to be strained 'Greek' yogurt either.
This isn't the first phase of yogurt parfaits in our house either. The first time was after the Frigidaire event we went to last June. They served something very similar to this recipe, called Strawberries with Mint, Yogurt & Honey, at the event and my guys went bananas for them. The fad eventually wore off, only to be re-born again this Spring.

The version I made here is slightly different from the one's I make my kids because it has some slivered almonds added in {they both hate almonds}. For grown-ups out there, or adventurous kids, these are also great with some fresh mint added in too!
Try making these parfaits with homemade granola by using this Cherry, Pecan Granola recipe and substituting fresh cherries for the strawberries above. Here are some other Breakfast recipe you might enjoy too! - Banilla Smoothies | Breakfast Quinoa with Berries & Bananas | Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Ricotta Pancakes | Strawberry Ricotta Muffins.

Curried Lentil & Farro Soup

When I was a twenty-something gal and would occasionally venture into the world of cooking, this soup was my 'specialty'.  I can't remember exactly who gave me the recipe - I think it was my father, who got it from someone else and passed it along to me.  All I do remember is that it was a small photocopy of a recipe from the NY Times food section in 1996.  That little wrinkled, stained and well used piece of paper has traveled with me for 16 years.  I keep it tucked between the pages of a cookbook and over the years, whenever I decided to make a pot I would have to dig through my entire cookbook collection to find it - never remembering which book it was in.  After awhile I gave up on all that and memorized the ingredients.

I've passed the recipe to many people over the years too.  I remember being on a low-carb diet and upon discovering that lentils were a permissible food item I decided to make a gigantic pot of this soup - which I proceeded to live on for days.  I told my mother about it, who was also dieting at the time and she loved the soup so much she passed it on to everyone in the family.  So, I have a feeling when this recipe gets posted they'll all know exactly what soup this is.

As much as I enjoy this soup, I am typically not a 'traditional' lentil soup person.  When I think of lentil soup I think of something grainy in texture and very bland in flavor.  To avoid those kind of results, I love trying recipes that use bold flavors, like curry powder or garam marsala.  I also opt for using small lentils, which I think make a big difference - they tend to hold their shape while cooking instead of breaking down into grainy mush.  For this batch I used Spanish Pardina lentils, which worked very well...in the past I've used French green lentils, which would also be a great choice.
For the grain component, I've used everything from pearled barley {which is what the original recipe calls for}, to brown rice, to the farro I've used here.  Farro is very similar in texture to barley, so I'd say their nearly interchangeable.  But I like the farro a bit more as the grains have a slightly chewy texture that I really love. 

Best thing about this recipe is that it calls for ingredients you most likely already have on hand in your pantry - or most of anyway.  It's quick, simple and inexpensive to make and tastes great days later...it can even be frozen, so you might consider doubling the recipe!
If you like lentils you might also enjoy these recipes too! - Stewed Lentils with Leeks, Lentil & Bulgur Salad | Spiced Red Lentil Soup with Cashews | Curried Squash & Red Lentil Soup

Black Bean, Chicken & Rice Bowl with Apple Salsa

Years ago - pre-kids years ago, when I lived in Brooklyn and had vegetarian eating habits - this was the kind of meal I subsisted on. Yes, I know this isn't a vegetarian recipe - but minus the chicken {and chicken stock} this was the kind of meal I made quite frequently. I was really into the whole idea of a "bowl" type meal. For one, it's cheap! Two, it's easy to make and the leftovers can be used for the following day's bagged work lunch, or another night's dinner. The perfect college girl meal.
It seems like an eternity since I've made a dinner like this and seeing it in the current issue of Bon Appétit made me crave one. I had also just discovered my new favorite way to prepare brown rice, so the timing was perfect.

What makes this recipe unlike many bean and rice "bowl" recipes out there is the apple salsa you serve along with it. I love that it uses Granny Smith apples because they're commonly available throughout the year - so any time is a good time to make some. The tart apples, paired with a bit of tangy lime juice, a kick from the minced red onions along with the brightness of fresh cilantro is a perfect flavor combination. Especially when combined with mildly spicy and slightly smoky black beans.

This recipe is very well fit for being adapted. So - I encourage you to adjust the ingredients or quantities to suit your families tastes - or to possibly use up any leftover bits of this or that you may have hanging around inside your refrigerator. I, myself, adjusted the original recipe quite a bit - adding in some minced jalapeno pepper, for just a touch of heat and changing some of the quantities to suit my taste. I decided to 'press' the garlic, rather than mince it because I have this wonderful {super high quality & well designed} garlic press that does an amazing job {and yes, it is worth spending $40 on}.
When you mince garlic, much of the 'juice' from inside the cloves ends up on your cutting board - but with this tool, every last bit of garlicky goodness ends up in whatever you're preparing.

If you like this recipe, you might also like these posts - Havana Black Beans | Lentil & Bulgur Salad | Perfect Brown Rice

{The Basics} Perfect Brown Rice

If given a choice between eating white or brown rice, I'd choose brown rice any day.  Not only because it's healthier than choosing white rice, but also because I happen to prefer the way it tastes - I love the nutty flavor and chewy texture of brown rice.  With brown rice the bran layer has been left intact, which makes it high in fiber and essential minerals.  While white rice is more convenient because it cooks faster and is more commonly prefered because it's fluffier in texture, it's not as nutritious and needs to be fortified in order for some of the lost nutrients to be added back in.  Personally, I prefer to stick with the all-natural choice.
The only problem is - brown rice is a pain to cook.  If there's one thing in the kitchen that gives me the biggest challenge it's producing perfectly cooked {not sticky, soggy or mushy} brown rice.  I typically follow the package instructions - which I've learned is not the best idea! - and no matter how precise I am in my measurements, it just never turns out well. 

I've found the only place I can enjoy perfectly cooked brown rice is when I order it from an Asian restaurant.  I believe most use a rice cooker/steamer to achieve their perfect results.  I've considered buying one, but decided it was just another small kitchen appliance that would take up precious cabinet or counter space - not to mention, most decent quality models are very pricey.

So - for me this method from Saveur magazine has been such a great discovery!  I was apprehensive it would work as it claimed, but the results have been spot on and fool-proof after many attempts cooking rice this way.  It really couldn't be simpler and the best part about it is the rice cooks quicker using this method than using the standard water absorpbtion method.  Who has an hour on a weeknight to cook brown rice?  Most nights, I certainly don't - which is why I don't serve it as much as I would like to.

With this method all that is required is some measuring of the two ingredients {dry brown rice and water}, rinsing the rice, followed by 30 minutes of simmering, a quick drain in a colander and then a 10 minute steam {to absorb the last bits of water}.  It is recommended you use a pot with a heavy, tight-fitting lid - something like a Dutch oven would be prefect.  But I realize not everyone owns one of these pots, so I also tried this method using a standard stockpot.  To prevent any steam from escaping through the lid I covered the top of the pot tightly with foil before placing the lid on top - this worked perfectly as well.

I believe this method will work for white rice as well - although the cooking time would be less, of course.  However, I have not tried it - so I can't vouch for the results {If anyone does, please let me know in the comment section}.  Now that I've learned this method I can't say I'll be eating much white rice from now on.
Have any of you tried this method before and had as much success as I did?  What's your favorite way to cook brown rice?
Next up - some recipes to use your perfectly cooked brown rice with!

Couscous with Roasted Fennel & Toasted Almonds

I was recently offered a review copy of the newly released cookbook from the website Food52.  To say I was excited about this would be an understatement.  I've been a follower of the website for years and every single thing I've ever made from it has been amazing.  I had a feeling their cookbook would be no different.
If you're unfamiliar with the site - in a nutshell it showcases recipes from home cooks, every day people like you and me who happen to have a few great recipes or specialties up their sleeves.  It's a recipe sharing community, but it's also more than that.  The 52 in the site's name comes from the 52 weeks in a year, and each week the editors of the site hold a contest for the best recipe in one of many categories....the Best Holiday Breakfast, the Best Raspberry Recipe, the Best Paella are just a few examples.  The contest entries are vetted by not only the sites creators but also by the community itself.  The winning recipe for each contest gets a prize - but even better gets their recipe published in The Food52 Cookbook!

The cookbook I'm speaking of today is the first one - a year's worth of contest winning recipes {the second book is in the works now}.  Knowing that each winning recipe has been tested and voted upon by a community of food loving people makes me feel confident that I will most likely enjoy them as well...which is why more often than not I use the site as a regular "what should I cook for dinner tonight?" resource.  Personally, I've never entered any of the contests {but - one of my recipes did win a Wild Card slot for the 2nd cookbook!}.  Not because I don't want to, but because the way my life is I'm lucky if I know what day of the week it is, let alone keep track of recipe contests.  I do, however, appreciate everyone who does because I love reaping the benefits.

I do use the recipe sharing part of the site though - if I ever come up with an original recipe that I want to share I upload it there.  It's a great spot to store your personal recipe box.
It was tough trying to decide which recipe I would feature here for this review.  So many of them called out to be made and I know for sure that this cookbook will not sit on a shelf collecting dust - it will get used many times and I hope to one day try all the recipes.
In the end, I decided on this Couscous with Roasted Fennel & Toasted Almonds.  I found it in the Winter section of the book {I love that it's divided by seasons!} and it just felt so perfect for this time of year.  Even the colors in this dish feel like winter to me.

For the exact recipe, I will be sending you to the Food52 website - as I wish to support their cause by having you get it directly from the source.  But - I will share some slight changes I made and specific ingredients I used with you here.
First - the recipe calls for using black raisins which are then soaked in orange juice.  Which for folks who like raisins is probably a great way to plump them up while adding some orange flavor to the final dish - but, I am not a raisin person.  I don't mind them so much on their own, but once they get added to food forget about it.

So, instead I used dried cranberries - and instead of soaking them in orange juice I added a bit of orange juice to the dressing, to keep some of the orange flavor in the finished dish.  I cut back on the vinegar to make up for the added citrus juice {2 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 tbsp. sherry vinegar & 1/2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice}.  It ended up being perfect for my tastes because I love vinaigrette's made with a combination of juice and vinegar.
I also left out the garnish of fennel fronds as the fennel I used was trimmed previously.  As far as adaptions that's pretty much it - everything else I followed to a tee.

As for ingredients, I used a hand-rolled Tunisian couscous, called M'hamsa.  Since it's an imported specialty item it's pricey {for something that's primarily semolina flour and water}.  But - I bought it months ago on a whim, intrigued by the idea of trying a handmade couscous and ever since I've been hooked.  The grain is not as large as an Israeli {pearl} couscous, but it's larger than commercially made varieties.  As far as flavor, it's much more intense than factory made couscous - the nutty flavor is much more pronounced.  I also love that the larger grains don't stick together in a big glutenous mess like the small ones sometimes do.  This salad is a perfect winter side dish and the leftovers taste great the next day.
I know you'll really enjoy this recipe and many others from The Food52 Cookbook.  And...to make sure that one of you does, I'm offering up a free copy to one lucky commenter!
The Giveaway winner will receive a copy of "The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks" by Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs.
To enter, simply leave a comment here on this post.
You may enter multiple times by sharing this giveaway with your friends or followers on Facebook and/or Twitter {one extra entry for each, totaling 3 maximum entries}.  In order to be eligible to win you must comment here under this post.  Please leave your contact information so I can contact you if you win!  The winner will be chosen at random on the morning of Monday, December 19th.  Good Luck!
UPDATE: The winner of this giveaway {chosen using a random number generator} is - Comment #9 Lauren H.  Congrats Lauren!!  {It's your second giveaway win!  You sure are a lucky lady!}

Fire Roasted Heirloom Salsa

One of the things I did, just prior to getting hit with the recent hurricane, was go food shopping. Just like every person within 100 miles of me. I was hoping the storm wouldn't be as bad as everyone was predicting, that we wouldn't lose power, and that the weekend would be spent being stuck inside, playing board games, watching movies, cooking yummy food and eating!
So, rather stupidly, I stocked the fridge to the max. It wasn't the brightest thing to do because we did indeed lose power. At first it flickered on and off, about every hour or so. Then, it finally went kaput for good the morning the storm hit. After that, the next 48 hours had me in a panic. Not because we couldn't watch TV, or use the computer, or because it's very hard to get used to doing everything in the dark...but, because of the food! Why, oh why, did I spend all that money on food? Much of which would end up getting thrown away. Especially when there are people all over this planet starving?
To relieve some of the anxiety I was having over the situation, I made it my mission to use up as much of it as I could. Luckily, we had the foresight to fill the propane tank for the grill, and anything that could be cooked on it, did. The need to empty the contents of our crisper drawer, combined with a massive amount of tomatoes I had on hand from our garden, inspired this recipe.

Breakfast Quinoa with Berries & Bananas

When I saw this recipe in the current issue of Whole Living magazine, I was very intrigued. Quinoa is technically not a grain because it's not part of the grass family {it's a relative of chard, and spinach}...but, because of it's grain-like texture it's marketed as one. It seems I'm always hearing about how good it is for you, and I've had the good intention to use it more in my cooking...but, really don't all that often. It's very high in protein, making it an ideal breakfast choice for me, or my kids.
My guys are super oatmeal fans...during the winter months it's the breakfast of choice around here. I make a big batch of steel cut oats, then store it in the fridge to heat up during the week. That saves me from having to take the time daily to make it. You can use the same method with this quinoa hot cereal by multiplying the recipe. I had high hopes that they would like this. Unfortunately, they were not all that wild about it.
If their love of oatmeal was not so deeply ingrained, they may have. These kids won't even eat instant oatmeal because they've grown up eating the real stuff and think the processed version is "disgusting". So, getting them to like this was a long shot.
I, however, loved it. It was definitely much different than any hot cereal I've ever had, but I loved the texture and flavor. As the mornings begin to get cooler, I know I will be making more of it.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Despite the {mostly negative} chatter I seem to be hearing regarding the new Bon Appétit magazine, I have to say I'm loving it. Frankly, new or old style, I've always enjoyed BA. But, now I'm really enjoying it.
For those of you who may not be as engrossed in the world of food magazine's as I am, Bon Appétit has a new editor-in-chief. They have for about 6 months now, but it's only been in the past couple of months that the changes have really become evident.
What are these changes? What stands out most for me is the food photography and the overall styling of the magazine. When I pick up a food magazine and want to not only cook every recipe, but also re-create the exact meal, dish by dish...then it's a winner in my book.
Along with many folks in America, I was on the lookout for some delicious looking, picnic-style foods for the Fourth of July holiday. It just so happened that this month's issue had a delicious and brilliantly photographed spread devised specifically for a Fourth of July picnic...how perfect!
I wanted to make every single item on the menu, but this year I had many dinners to attend during the holiday week {thanks to a 2 week long visit from my sister & nieces} and for most of them I was in charge of bringing a veggie side, or salad. In the end, I made this salad twice...for two different groups of people. Which was actually ideal, as it gave me a chance to change some things I wasn't wild about the first time around. The photographs here are from the first go-around. I used feta cheese, because the ricotta salata that the recipe called for was unavailable to me. I also added the full 2 tablespoons of fresh mint suggested...I thought it was bit too much. I'm a big fan of mint...in things like iced tea, ice cream, or for making mojitos. But, when it comes to a simple salad such as this, it can easily dominate to the point where you can't taste anything else.
My final version is what's shown in the printable recipe at the bottom of this post. If you can get your hands on some ricotta salata, than you most definitely should {I was able to find it at Whole Foods}. As it takes this salad from perfectly good, to fabulous...in a crave-able kind of way. I also recommend adding the mint, and dressing to suit your personal tastes. You can always add more, but taking away is a bit more tricky.

Edamame & Fennel Salad

We arrived home from our vacation in the wee hours this morning. I'm functioning on very little sleep at the moment, but it's been so long since I've posted that I really wanted to get this recipe up!
We had an amazing trip! I know my kids will be remembering all of the adventures they had for a lifetime. It was hard coming home and being thrown back into reality. I have so much to share, including about 1700 photos {and one recipe I did manage to photograph}, but it may take me a bit to get most of it up here!
In the meantime, I'm sharing a recipe I created for the website, Babble. You may remember they included me in their Top 100 Mom Food Blogs of 2011...which was so nice of them! More recently, they asked me to create a recipe for their Meals for the Family section, which features 50 recipes from many of the Mom Food Bloggers on the list.
This salad was my contribution. The recipe happened sort of by happy accident, and was inspired by a local Asian restaurant I love, that steams their edamame with a piece of star anise thrown in. I've ordered their edamame many times, but never knew what made them taste so darn good until one day when I saw the little pod of star anise in there.
I figured if star anise was such a nice compliment to edamame then it must be equally delicious with some fennel. The verdict? Yes, it is! The only regret I had was not making twice as much. My kids aren't big fennel fans, but it was easy enough to pick it out of their serving {they were happy eating their Parmesan coated edamame}. I found this salad so addictive that I ate it at every meal for a few days following.

Thai Chicken & Noodles

I saw this salad featured on one of my favorite food blogs, Dinner: A Love Story last week & knew immediately I had to make it. First, because it's reminded me of an Asian salad I used to eat on a very regular basis when we lived in Brooklyn. It was my favorite item on the menu at a place called Cambodian Cuisine, in Fort Greene, BK...about a block from our old apartment. Unfortunately, the restaurant no longer exists...which, makes my memory of this dish nothing more than a memory at this point.
Secondly, the marinade is similar to the marinade I use for Chicken Satay, which is a favorite with the Bozos...so, I knew they would love this. The fact that the veggies are raw in this salad was something I knew would also meet their approval. They both love cucumbers & carrots...but do not like cooked vegetables. For anyone else out there with picky eaters, meals like this are great because you can pick & choose what elements you add...and, each person can make their own salad to suit their taste.
Finally, this meal is healthy & quick...making it an ideal weeknight dinner.