Spinach and basil pesto

I know what you're thinking: There must be something fundamentally wrong with this girl - she's like a carb factory and damn it, pasta again?

I think I have a right to defend myself here. Our CSA has been bringing a big load of spinach for a couple of weeks now, and as much as I love spinach, I don't eat it as fast as Popeye himself and always find myself throwing it out when the spinach turns to mulch in the refrigerator. The best way to preserve veges is of course freezing them or in my case, add a whole lot of nuts and cheese and turn them into pesto.

There are also a couple of things I tend to splurge on: extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano (and I'm as pretentious as to say, not parmesan, pish!), good-quality pasta (not that Safeway mush), coffee, wine and beer. Oh and bread too.

So when it comes down to it, the best dinner I can make is a bowl of pasta topped with Parmigiano and a glass of wine!

This pesto will keep in for about a week in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. The best way to serve this is to dump two heap tablespoons over steaming hot flat pasta, and toss with some freshly cracked black pepper, a few cherry tomatoes and a smidgen of crumbled goat cheese. Heaven! (And in heaven, you get to eat this with a glass dry Côtes du Rhône rose out on a sunny deck).

(Mr. Basil Plant - purveyor of fine frontyard basil leaves)

P/S: Use the best ingredients you can find, it makes a world of difference.

Spinach and Basil pesto
Makes 2 cups pesto

2 cups fresh organic spinach (hard stems removed and roughly chopped)
1 cup sweet basil (stems removed)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Chuck everything except the olive oil slowly oil and salt in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a paste. Add in the olive oil slowly and pulse just to combine, about 3 or 4 times.
Stir in the salt to taste and you're all set.

Easy Weeknight Dinner: Penne with Zucchini, Peas and Sausages

It's midweek, work is tiring and all you want to do is put your feet up, sink into a glass of wine and have a nice dinner when you get home. Pasta is perfect for those days when you really don't feel like doing anything but don't really feel like having take outs either. Let's face it, you can throw ANYTHING together with a handful of whole wheat pasta and make a delicious meal out of it. The trick is to add a good helping of vegetables to make it a wholesome meal. This recipe is one that I go back to time after time especially during this wonderful spring season when the weather is warm and meat sauces just seem to heavy. Zucchini and peas lend a refreshing amount of greens while cherry tomatoes, sausages and creme fraiche add a sophisticated touch for a simple yet delicious and healthy weeknight dinner.

Penne with Zucchini, Peas and Sausages
Serves 2

4 oz. whole wheat penne
1 stalk green garlic or 1 whole garlic clove, minced finely *see note
1 mild Italian sausage link, sliced thinly on the diagonal (about 1/4" thick)
1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly on the diagonal (about 1/4" thick)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tbsp creme fraiche, mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
A generous helping of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook the penne according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of the olive oil in a saute pan (I used roughly 1 tbsp) over low heat. Toss in the minced garlic and saute for a one minute and add in the sliced sausages. Brown the sausages for a few minutes and add in the zucchini. Sprinkle with some salt and turn the heat up to medium. Saute the zucchini and sausages until the zucchini is softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peas. Cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat down to low, add in the cooked pasta, creme fraiche, cherry tomatoes and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and toss everything together to combine. Spoon out into bowls and serve with grated Parmigiano. Enjoy with a good glass of slightly chilled Chardonnay!

*Note: Green garlic which came in my CSA is like scallions but is actually the young stalk and bulb of a garlic. It has a milder taste than full grown garlic. If using green garlic, discard the yellow stalks and dark green leaves. Use the bulb and the light green parts of the stalk.

Cheesy Moving Blues: Spaghetti with Chards, Prosciutto and Roquefort Cheese

The lack of recent updates can be attributed to the activity of moving into a new place - a somewhat tedious chore that has taken well over two weeks and have driven both me and the boyfriend nuts. We've moved out to the edge of the city, not quite the burbs, but on the edge no less where a lawn mower wakes us up on Saturdays and the bus drops off a bunchload of yelling kids down the road, much to the chagrin of my dog who goes off at the slightest sound.

The one good thing about moving farther away from the center of downtown though is that rent is a tiny bit cheaper and I can now afford a CSA box. The box we get from New Roots Organics is massive even though we only signed up for a personal bin meant for a one person household. This week we got a whole bunch of chards, carrots, lettuce and mustard greens and a few asparagus spears, apples, oranges, pears, red peppers and zucchinis.

The other good thing about living farther away from everything that matters is that we make "stock-up" trips so that we don't have to go to the grocery store every now and then. Enter Costco. I've always found their cheese and wine selection to be top-notch. But over the weekend, I must have had dry-heaves about 18 times looking at a 12oz wedge of Papillon Black Label Roquefort that was selling for $13.99. That's right, $13.99. It can cost almost three times the price at a gourmet cheese store, and is one of the reasons I hardly ever eat Roquefort except when we're at a fancy French restaurant.

The combination of chards from my CSA box and finding the Roquefort for cheap leads me to perhaps what is one of my all-time favourite ways to make pasta. You have to ensure that you use really good quality ingredients so that all the flavours meld together to create a wonderfully savoury dish. Everything from the pasta to the cheese down to the lemons you use have to be the best you can afford, otherwise you might just dismiss this as a bland affair. If you can't find/afford Roquefort, a good grade Italian Gorgonzola would also work well. Enjoy with a light white wine such as Semillon or Riesling so that it doesn't overwhelm the flavour of the cheese.
Spaghetti with Chards, Prosciutto and Roquefort Cheese
Makes 2 servings

4 oz good quality whole wheat spaghetti
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups rainbow or swiss chards, chopped and stem removed
4 slices prosciutto, sliced in thin strips
1/2 cup good quality Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoon toasted pine nuts, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan with 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil. Add in the minced garlic and saute gently over medium-low heat for 1 minute until it starts to turn slightly golden. Add in the chards and 1/4 teaspoon salt and saute for another 3 minutes until the chards are wilted. Turn off the heat.

Stir in the grated lemon zest, sliced prosciutto and roquefort cheese. Add in the cooked pasta and toss to combine. The residual heat from the chards will melt the roquefort slightly. If the pasta seems to dry, you can add in a little bit of the reserved pasta water.

Add in the freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve the pasta topped with a slight scatter of toasted pine nuts.

Gastronomic Salad with Homemade Garlic Croutons

I don't know about you, but there are some days I just feel "icky". Sort of in the way when you've waddled out of a fast food joint and you smell sickeningly like grease. Or when you've been too greedy at a diner buffet. Or when you've been eating nothing but Twinkies and potato chips for three days. That sort of icky.


So when you're feeling icky, there's nothing better than to keep things light with lots of vegetables and fruits. I like to combine both in a salad with a light dressing - nothing creamy or thick, just a garlicky dressing with olive oil and wine. To make it more satisfying for dinner, I usually add my own homemade croutons (less oil/butter than store bought ones) and some form of meat.

La Panzanella (it's a Seattle institution and the bread and crackers are beyond superb) at the Farmers' Market had a really splendid loaf of focaccia today and I thought it would be good to make some garlic croutons and toss it with one of my favourite Konosur concoctions. The recipe combines spring greens (butterhead lettuce and a herb salad mix), prosciutto and blood oranges to make it a seasonal salad that help rids the "ickyness" of having eaten badly for the past week. It makes a satisfying dinner and is complemented well with a glass of 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from California (Try 2007 Vintage Bogle for a good, cheap Sauvignon Blanc under $10).

Gastronomic Salad with Homemade Garlic Croutons
Serves 4

1/2 loaf foccacia bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp white wine
2 cups butterhead lettuce, torn
1 cup herb salad mix (combination of arugula, dill, tarragon, parsley and endive)
1 large blood orange, peel removed and sliced
3 slices prosciutto, sliced into strips
2 tsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sweetened, dried cranberries
2 tbsp roughly chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 325°F.

To make croutons, combine cubed bread, two tablespoons olive oil, rosemary and 3/4 of the minced garlic in a large bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper. Toss well to mix all the ingredients together. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with foil. Toast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, stir with a spatula and toast for another 10 minutes until croutons are crunchy and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, remaining mince garlic, orange juice, white wine and dash of pepper in a small bowl. Whisk and set aside.

Assemble the salad: On a large platter, arrange the salad leaves, sliced orange and sliced prosciutto. Scatter the cranberries and pistachios over the top. Drizzle with the dressing. Toss everything together and serve with croutons on top.

The Thanksgiving blubber riddance: Salade Niçoise

Hello! I hope your Thanksgiving was as enjoyable as mine. We had an 18lb. turkey which we ate for three straight meals and a gigantic bowl of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had that does not involve dairy. Hurrah! Heading back from Portland to Seattle, I swear my seat belt buckle was almost breaking under my gargantuan mashed potato, pumpkin pie, turkey stuffed self.

While in Portland, I manage to score a copy of Williams-Sonoma's "Savoring Provence" from Borders for almost 75% off. I love French food, and I think it's my New Year's resolution to try every single thing from that book, including frog legs, rabbit saddles and baby fish.


My first choice from the book is the Niçoise salad which basically just translates to a salad from Nice. As always, Niçoise salads MUST have green beans, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, anchovies and olives. The recipe called for artichoke hearts but I skipped it because we don't live in an artichoke friendly household.

Salade Niçoise
Serves 4
(Adapted from Williams-Sonoma's cooking series:'Savoring Provence')

4 small new potatoes, unpeeled
20 baby green beans, trimmed
1 can tuna chunk in olive oil
1 head or 1 bag baby romain lettuce
10 small cherry tomatoes (or 2 large roma tomatoes)
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
8 slices olive oil packed anchovy fillets, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup Nicoise or kalamata olives
1 tablespoon capers
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 small shallot, minced fine
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook potatoes until tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Drain, and set under running water until cool. Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Blanch the green beans in a pot of salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain, and set under running water until cool.

Drain the tuna and separate into large flakes. Make the vinaigrette by whisking the vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl.

Line a large salad bowl with lettuce leaves. Lightly toss the remaining ingredients except for the eggs in a separate bowl with the vinaigrette. Spoon over the lettuce and arrange the quartered hard-boiled eggs on top.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Eggs, Spinach and Roasted Peppers

The election, school, the dog, dog training, rain, Farmer's Markets... those are the reasons I have been absent from the blogosphere for so long. My nights these days are mostly filled with having lots of quick-fixes like pasta, pasta, more pasta and (horrors!) Sushi-land. Yes, sushi on a conveyor belt for $1.50 a plate. In lieu of the crazy week(s) that was/were and also for my birthday, we went out for a wonderful, romantic (albeit expensive) dinner at a French, fine-dining establishment called Crush. And yes, it is one of those pretentious, one-word restaurants that are patrolled by gay waiters with frou-frou decor and "May I help you wipe down the lobster spill on your shirt?" attitude. I had a good time inspite of that, mostly because the food was good. We started off with the Hudson Valley Seared Foie Gras steak, then I had the Roasted Hawaiian Mero Sea Bass and finished off with the most delectable serving of Chocolate Mousse and Caramelized Bananas. I think the one reason that place was so expensive was because they used truffles in EVERY SINGLE THING. Hello, truffle laces, truffle oil, truffle shavings, truffle soaked meat...


I finally had time this morning to make us a decent sit-down breakfast, spurred on by my craving for Portobello Mushrooms. This is a take on a recipe in Bon Appetit that I've tried to recreate following my pretentious gourmet outing at Crush. And isn't Konosur the ideal name for a my very own pretentious one-word restaurant?

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Eggs, Spinach and Roasted Peppers
Serves 2

2 large portabello mushrooms
4 organic, free-range eggs
2 cups spinach
1/4 chopped Spanish onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup sliced roasted red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Heat the grill. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms, sprinkle the thyme over, season with salt and pepper and grill for 15 minutes until the mushrooms are soft, about 15 minutes, turning once.

In a skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil and saute the onions and garlic for about 2 minutes, and add in the spinach. Toss until the spinach are wilted, about 5 minutes. Divide on to two plates.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy and season with salt and pepper and half the parsley. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet (you can use the same one you did for your spinach), pour in the eggs and gently scramble the eggs over medium heat until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over.

On the bed of wilted spinach, arrange one mushroom cap on top with the smooth edge facing down. Spoon the eggs on top of the mushroom, top with roasted peppers and garnish with remaining parsley. Repeat for the other mushroom.

Easy Mondays: Savoy cabbage, potatoes and spare ribs soup

There's something about cabbage that just screams "peasant" and "Russia" in the same sentence, mostly because Brian has so ingrained the horrors of Russian borsch in my mind that I've been quite hesitant to combine cabbage and potatoes in a soup. Over the weekend however, we took a stroll with down to the Broadway Farmer's Market and there sat a lonely little savoy cabbage bursting with all colours of green, beckoning to me to chomp on it.


Also, cabbage and soup reminds me of Brer Rabbit and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both British institutions that demonstrate how highly popular cabbage and potatoes are in European culture. I guess that in the Old WorldAlaska, it must have been a great relieve to be able to dig something out of your garden, stab a pig (or a moose!) and toss it all into a large kettle.


I adapted this recipe from the New York Times, adding in potatoes as the bad-bad-bad carb filler and braising the spare ribs in liquid for the soup instead of doing it separately. Savoy cabbage lends a sweet taste to the soup, and complements the spicy spareribs. The actual recipe states that this will yield 10 - 12 servings. Unless you're a midget or Giada De Laurentiis, I think this whole recipe will yield about 6 servings for a main course with some crusty bread.

Cabbage, Potatoes and Spare Ribs Soup
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard (I used mustard seeds)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (I used chili flakes)
1 1/4 pounds pork spareribs (about 8 ribs or 1/2 rack)
1 head garlic, peeled, cloves crushed
Vegetable spray
6 cups rich chicken stock
2 cups diced yellow onions
6 generous cups green cabbage in 1-inch dice
2 cups red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cube
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped parsley for garnish (Optional)

1. In a spice grinder process caraway seeds, paprika and mustard until fine. Turn into a bowl with brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and the cayenne; fluff with fingertips.

2. Dry ribs well with paper towels, and rub both sides with spices and crushed garlic. Place ribs on a small rack or plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a sheet pan lightly with vegetable spray. Brush garlic cloves from ribs, place ribs in a sheet pan, and roast until a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

4. Transfer ribs to a 5-quart Dutch oven; pour rendered fat (about 2 tablespoons) from sheet pan into a large heavy skillet, and set aside. Place sheet pan on 2 burners over high heat, add 1 cup water, and stir with a wooden spoon to dislodge browned bits. Pour deglazing liquid and stock into Dutch oven, cover, and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until ribs are tender, turning occasionally, about 75 minutes (1 hr 15 mins). Add in cubed potatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

5. While ribs simmer, sauté onions and cabbage in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper; stir to combine. Set aside.

6. Remove spare ribs from the soup. Pull pork off bones, trim off bits of cartilage, and dice meat. Discard bones. Return meat to soup base, add cabbage and onions, and simmer about 15 minutes. Serve, garnished with parsley.

Easy Chorizo, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza

My post yesterday was about the wonderful flatbread recipe found on smittenkitchen which I made over the weekend. The flatbread was so good I knew that at some point during this week, I would have to make it again. Combine that with an uncanny urge for pizza, I had to experiment with making some flatbread pizza.

The result is a super easy, entirely homemade pizza that take about 1/2 an hour to conjure, including cook time! It's wonderful for one of those hectic weekdays. Of course you can use ready-made Greek pita flatbread as the crust but I think this measures up equally well in terms of cooking speed and ease.

I used sliced chorizo (you can sense a theme on this blog: chorizo is my blood vein), some arugula and goat cheese to top off a basil-infused flatbread crust. Served with some sort of cheap Crianza wine makes for a good meal.

Easy Chorizo, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza
Serves 1 (about 2 pizza slices)

1/3 recipe for flatbread
Substitute chopped basil for the rosemary

1/2 link of chorizo
2 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup baby arugula
Black Pepper

Roll out the flatbread into a rough circular shape. Try not to roll it out too thinly, about 1/2 inch in thickness.

Brush the flatbread liberally with olive oil, layer toppings (chorizo first, then the arugula and top off with goat cheese), and grind fresh black pepper over the pizza. The chorizo will be salty enough, so there is no need to sprinkle salt over the pizza.

Bake at 450°F for about 15 mins until chorizo is cooked through.

Chicken Scaloppine and Arugula Salad

I realize that in recent days I've been posting a lot of arugula recipes, mostly first because I like arugula-flavoured politics (*insert ding-dong cue*) and also because I bought such a huge bag and forgot that I would be home alone for two weeks. Hence the unfortunate near-daily arugula dinners.

Also, I have a practice session for my defense tomorrow and needed a super easy and quick dinner. I found a similar recipe at marthastewart.com for this, but I made one that's a little different and has some tomatoes and capers. A light hefeweizen or Sauvignon Blanc pairs excellent with this meal, and you can round it off with some home made garlic bread.

Chicken Scaloppine and Arugula Salad
Serves 2

1 chicken breast, butterflied two yield pieces
2 cups baby arugula leaves
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 medium lemon, cut into wedges
1 medium roma (plum) tomato, sliced
1 tbsp capers
Salt and pepper
Parmigiano.

Wrap the chicken breasts in cling film and smack them with a meat mallet or a hevay pan until they are flat and thin.

Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and sear the chicken on medium-high heat until cook through. The meat cooks faster if you prick it a few times with a fork. Fry for about 5 mins on each side.

In a bowl, toss the salad, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and capers. Arrange on plates. When the chicken breast is cooked, lay it on top of the arugula salad, top with tomato slices and shaved Parmigiano.

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad

My partner hates beets. So now that he's in South America for next couple of weeks, I'm going to go nuts with the beets. I love beets because they're juicy, sweet and give me red teeth for a coupe of hours so I look creepier than I really am. Red teeth and the fact that beets are nutritious and great with cheese makes me like them even more.

I picked up some fresh beet from the farmer's market over the weekend and decided to use them today for a quick and easy salad dish. And of course, paired with arugula in honor of the "arugula-flavoured politics" acceptance speech due tomorrow. We all need change and some arugula, yes sir we do. I used a 4 pepper goat cheese I picked up from the grocery store, but any kind of goat cheese will work well. I paired the salad with a bottle of Columbia Crest Riesling ($5.99) and two slices of quick and easy bruschetta.

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad
Serves 2

1 small beet
1.25 cup baby arugula
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 tbsp chopped walnuts

Dressing
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dry vermouth or sherry
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Scrub and clean the beet, trimming off the green parts but leaving the skin on. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake at 425°F for 30 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. The skin can easily be removed by rubbing it with a damp paper towel. Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick and season with salt and pepper.

Serve over arugula leaves and topped with chopped walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle dressing.

Mushroom, Spinach and Prosciutto Frittata

For most part of the week I tend to eat a healthy breakfast i.e. old-fashioned oats with raisin, whole grain toasts, etc. But on the weekends I usually wake up to waffles, bacon and eggs. Sometimes I get a little nutty and have a steak panini for brunch.

Today is extra special because of two things. First I slept at 4am, going to bed on a stomach that was fed 8 hours before. Second is that I'm elated with the Obama/Biden ticket. I think that warranted a celebratory breakfast of a huge wedge of frittata and lots and lots of Marmite toasts and a large pot of hazelnut coffee. This recipe serves 2 but I ate it all by myself while watching the rally. Whee for free gym memberships!


Mushroom, Spinach and Prosciutto Frittata
Serves 2

2 large free-range eggs
4 small crimini mushroom caps (yields about 1/2 cup sliced)
1/4 cup chopped baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet onions
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice prosciutto, sliced lengthwise into 2
2 or 3 stalks of chives
Grated Parmigiano-Regiano
Tabasco Sauce
Salt and pepper

In an oven-proof skillet heat up the butter on low heat. Once melted, add in the onions and mushrooms. Bring heat up to medium and saute until mushrooms turn brown, about 8 minutes.

Add in the spinach, saute until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add in sliced jarred red pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper until frothy and bubbly. Slowly pour it into the mushroom and spinach mix. Swirl the pan around so that the egg mixture covers all the ingredients and the edges are in line with the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the parsley over the eggs.

Cook until the eggs are almost set. Turn broiler on high. Put a slice of provolone on the eggs, and put the pan under the broiler for about 2 minutes, until all the cheese is melted. If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you can gently slide the eggs into a pie tin and broil that.

Grate a small amount of parmigiano over the frittata and cut into wedges. Roll a slice of prosciutto and place in on top of the frittata wedge. Serve on plates and scatter with chopped chives and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce.

Arugula with Crispy Prosciutto

I've noticed that there's a tendency for me to buy tons of vegetables and fruits that never get consumed before its wilting point. My weekly trips to Trader Joe's would involve a few bags of different pre-washed leaves, but I would never get around to using them and would be forced to throw them out after two weeks when they start getting all squashed and discoloured beneath bags and bags of apples. It's not that I'm lazy to cook them, I just need variety. Arugula or spinach three days in a row is overkill.


But today I stumbled on this interesting Arugula with Crispy Prosciutto recipe from SeattlePI. It looked really simple to make and combined my two of my favourite things - prosciutto and eggs. It seemed like bacon and eggs but with a generous helping of healthy greens. I threw in some grape tomatoes to round out a colourful entreé salad. Just scale the entire recipe by half, except the eggs, add some crusty Italian bread and a glass of wine and that's a full dinner for two.


Arugula with Crispy Prosciutto
Adapted from SeattlePI

4-6 thin slices prosciutto
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups arugula, loosely packed
2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place prosciutto slices on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until prosciutto is crispy. Be sure to keep an eye on it so the prosciutto doesn't burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
4. Place arugula in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the leaves. Gently toss. Add the eggs and toss gently again. Divide among 4 salad plates. Top each with a piece of crispy prosciutto. (You can gently break each prosciutto slice into smaller pieces to sprinkle over the salad.)

Arugula and Eggplant Salad with Goat's Cheese and Herbs

Two of the vegetable/fruits I hated with a passion when growing up were eggplants and bitter gourd. I would almost throw up and start a hissy-fit every time my mother whipped some up. Those were some of the most awful eating moments because I would be sobbing and putting the eggplant/rice mixture in my mouth cheeks for a half-hour because I was too disgusted to swallow it. But it must have been around puberty, the time when people do stupid things and start getting smarter than they really are, that I began liking tons and tons of stir-fried eggplants with dried shrimp, a traditional South-East Asian delicacy.


The boyfriend however, has a strange dislike of all things mushy, and when eggplant is cooked perfectly, it's soft and stringy and hence I suppose, a tad bit squishy looking in a gross way. I decided I was just going to make him a jerk chicken panini instead and treat myself to a spicy eggplant salad for dinner.

This is an original recipe that comes from my yearning for eggplant and my love for goat's cheese. I recently bought a 4 pepper flavoured goat's cheese log, but you can use any kind of goat's cheese for this recipe. The wild arugula is complemented by the basil and cheese while the eggplant, chili and cilantro add a zingy Asian twist to a classy salad.

Arugula and Eggplant Salad with Goat's Cheese
Makes 2 entreè servings (About 270 cals per serving)
Prep time = 20 mins
Cook time = 20 mins

1 small eggplant, about 2 cups chopped
2 cups wild arugula
1.5 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 small serrano chili, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup green onions, sliced thinly
1/4 cup jarred roasted yellow or red peppers, sliced thinly
2 oz. goat's cheese at room temperature

1.5 tsp minced garlic, about 3 cloves
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup vegetable broth

1. Cut small eggplant into 2-inch cubes, yielding about 1 cup per person.
2. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet, and gently saute garlic for 1 minute.
3. Turn heat up and add in eggplant, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce and low-sodium soy sauce.
4. Stir-fry for about 5 to 7 mins, coating eggplants with sauce.
5. Pour in vegetable broth, cover and simmer on medium heat until eggplants are perectly tender but not mushy. It should take about 10 minutes, be careful not to let the sauce dry out. If it starts getting a little too thick, add more broth.
6. Mix arugula, basil, tomatoes and onions together in a large bowl.
7. Crumble goat's cheese into salad mix and toss.
8. Spoon salad mix out onto a plate, add eggplant on the side with a little soy sauce mix from the pan. Drizzle salad with a little good quality extra virgin olive oil, garnish with cilantro, green onions and serrano pepper strips and serve.

Creamy Yellow Squash Soup and Mini Spinach-Artichoke Salmon Sandwich

The boyfriend suggested yesterday that I should include more photos in my blog, perhaps even throw in photos of me cooking. I'm thinking that's not going to happen because I already have my hands full with a spatula and a bottle of pepper, all sweaty and very impatient, I don't need people seeing what I look like in the kitchen - they just need to see the results and pretty pictures.

Anyway, we've had this piece of smoked salmon sitting at the back of the box of feta in the far left corner of the refrigerator since the Pope visited. It was the product of our fortnightly milling about in Pike Place Market. We've always wanted to use it to make some yummy grilled panini, but it somehow never panini-ed out (*insert ding-dong cue*). So today my project was to clear out the fridge of leftover summer squash and of newspaper-wrapped smoked salmon.

This recipe uses ciabbata bread but you can subsitute it for focaccia or pain rustique or even Italian round. It combines a home-made spinach-artichoke blend with the subtle crisp taste of capers and delectable dill weed.


Creamy Yellow Squash Soup
(Serves 4, about 170cals per serving)
Prep time = 10 mins
Cook time = 30 mins

2.5 cups yellow squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup baby carrots, half width-wise
1/4 cup onions
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp curry powder
3 cups low sodium vegetable or organic free-range low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup soy milk
Grated nutmeg (optional)
Parsley sprigs (optional)
Chopped walnuts (optional, 1 tsp for each serving)

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot
2. Sautè onions until translucent. Add in squash and carrots, ginger, turmeric and curry powder, sautè another 7 mins until squash turns translucent
3. Add broth, bring to a simmer, add in thyme, Garam Masala, salt, pepper and parsley
4. Cover and simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes until carrots are just tender
5. Turn heat off and let cool for 5 minutes before using an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup (if using a food processor, carefully pulse one cup at a time)
6. Return soup to pot on low heat, add in soy milk and stir
7. Serve with a dash of grated nutmeg, dash of pepper, walnuts and a parsley sprig


Mini Spinach-Artichoke and Salmon Sandwich

Serves 4 (about 270cals per serving)
Prep time = 15 mins
Cook time = 5 mins

1/2 loaf ciabatta bread , cut into 2 slices and separated into halves to yield 4 quarters
1.5 cups spinach leaves
1 cup canned artichoke hearts in brine
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp capers
3 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled (optional, I used it to make my sandwich, but omitted it for the boyfriend's)
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
1 cup smoked salmon, crumbled into little bits
1 tbsp dill

1. Combine all ingredients except feta cheese and onions and blend in food processor until chunky (see pictures).
2. Add in feta cheese and onions and combine in a bowl.
3. Spread a light layer of butter on the ciabatta and toast it lightly, follow the instructions on the packaging, but make sure the bread doesn't turn out too hard - usually 3 minutes in a 350° oven should do the trick.
4. Spoon spinach-artichoke mixture into the center of the bread. Stuff the smoked salmon into the center of the mixture, about 2.5 tbsp per person.
5. Place sandwich on plate, sprinkle with dried dill (about 1/4 tsp per person) and serve.