5.      Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serves 4.

Man, this has been the year of changes! New job in May. A brand-spankin' new car this month--I get to pick it up this weekend. Woo-hoo, I'm sooooo excited! And now a new home next month. Yep, you heard right...I'm moving! Out of my beloved little cottage in the Grid but not too far away...just in with Mr.S., the kidlets (or should I be calling them teenlets these days?) and Pepper. I guess after 5 years, it's about time we shack up, right? What's funny is the reaction I get when I tell people- half of my friends already thought I lived with Mr.S because I'm there so much and the other half are like, "About time!"

Anyhow, I was over there the other day visiting Mr. S and discussing how in the heck we're going to fit my stuff in his closet (that boy has a LOT of shoes!) when I noticed that my baby Roma tomatoes were finally ready to be picked. Look at how gorgeous they are! They're almost too pretty to eat...almost.




To celebrate these red beauties, I decided to transform my garden bounty into a savory tomato bread pudding. Yum! I threw in a bowlful of ripe baby Romas and sprinkled in a few leftover yellow cherry tomatoes for spots of contrasting color. To give the bread pudding some zing I also used a spicy jalapeno-cheddar focaccia from Raley's (but you can use whatever kind of bread you like). Pretty much any type of hearty, thick bread will work in this recipe.  No wimpy bread, please!



Savory Tomato Bread Pudding (based on a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

Filling:

Butter, for greasing the baking dish
8 ounces Jalapeno-Cheddar focaccia, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic
12 ounces (about a cup and a half) small, flavorful tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 (packed) cup fresh, chopped basil leaves
5 oz. Parmesan-Reggiano

Custard:

6 large eggs, room temp
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Put oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 375 F.

2. Butter a 9x13x2 glass casserole dish. Spread the bread cubes evenly in the dish. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat up your oil over med-high heat. Add in your onion, cook until slightly translucent. Add in garlic, cook until fragrant. Add in your tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Tomatoes will soften. Turn off the heat and add in the chopped basil. Stir. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread crumbs.

4. Sprinkle with the Parmesan-Reggiano. Combine well.

5. In a bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Get the custard really smooth then pour it over the bread mixture. Let it sit for 15 minutes, tossing it frequently. You really want the bread to get saturated with the custard.

6. Place in the oven and cook for about 25-30 mutes. Stick a knife in the center and when it comes out clean, you can take the dish out.

7. Let the bread pudding cool for 5-10 minutes then slice and serve.

2 large eggs yolks

1 tablespoon butter

 

Instructions

 

1. Put all sauce ingredients in a metal bowl, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.

 

2. Heat sauce, whisking until cheese and butter are melted, and then stirring with a wooden spoon, until sauce is slightly thickened and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes.

 

3. Remove bowl from pan. Serve sauce with flan.

Potage Parmentier  (Potato Leek Soup)
 
Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large leeks (white and green part only)
1 small yellow onion, quartered then sliced into strips
5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
4 cups chicken stock
2 Bay leaves
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup whole milk
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper


Instructions

Ahhh, with the beautiful autumn foliage and crisp evenings comes the sniffles, coughs, fevers and chills. Poor Mr.S. has been sick the last few days. I've been feeding him soup, liquids and Sudafed mostly but last night I decided to cook him and Kidlet #1 a "real" dinner. I made chicken marsala over a quinoa/wild rice blend and a side of spaghetti squash. I wasn't sure how the spaghetti squash would go over with the guys- but lo and behold, they liked it...a lot!

Spaghetti squash is quite the versatile winter vegetable. It's low in calories and carbs (one-half cup of cooked spaghetti squash has about 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates); not to mention, it's also loaded with fiber and beta carotene. Can't beat that! We ate this as a side dish but you can just as easily make it an entrée by adding some roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes and basil. If you have some fresh herbs and garlic on hand, by all means sub them in for the seasoning- parsley, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, sage...any of these would work great. Have some leftover summer pesto? Mix it in with the spaghetti squash, it'll make a great lunch dish.
 
Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Pecorino

Ingredients

2 spaghetti squashes
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Pecorino
McCormick's Perfect Pinch Garlic & Herb Salt-Free Seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Slice spaghetti squashes in half (lengthwise). Use a spoon to scoop out seeds and the stringy goop (I'm sure there's a proper name for this stuff, but we'll go with stringy goop.)

3. Place spaghetti squash halves on a foil lined baking sheet (use one with a lipped edge). Drizzle some olive oil on the squash and use your hands to make sure it's coated well.

4. Place the squashes cut side down on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 50-55 minutes. The flesh on the cut side should be fork tender.

5. Flip the squashes so that the cut side faces up and let them cool for about 20 minutes. Then drag a fork to scrape the insides out. The flesh will come up in long, thin strands that look similar to spaghetti noodles. Move the scraped flesh to a bowl.

6. Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shredded squash and toss to get it coated with the butter. Add the Pecorino and sprinkle with the McCormick's Perfect Pinch Garlic & Herb Salt-Free Seasoning. Toss well, cook for about 3 minutes.

7. Serve hot.

"There is nothing like soup. It is nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup from a can."  ~Laurie Colwin

Sorry, I haven't been blogging much lately. Fall is my favorite time to be out and about and I've been dining out with friends a lot. I did make a big batch of minestrone last week though! I gave a few jars to friends and then the kidlets and I scarfed down the rest over at Mr.S.'s casa.

I love minestrone, it's warm and filling but doesn't weigh you down... a perfect source of sustenance for a chilly autumn or winter night. Not to mention, it's a super easy way to get the kidlets to eat an entire bowl of veggies with no fuss! Now I'm a die hard fan of the minestrone recipe from Nick's an Italian café in McMinnville, Oregon  (my mom and Nick are friends, from back in her Japan days)- it's a fantastic recipe and I made it for ages, but these days I make a version that's nice and hearty and chock full of my favorite veggies. I like using a beef broth as my base and adding a handful of ditalini pasta to the mix...oh, and don't forget to throw in a Parmesan rind! That's what infuses your soup with flavor and there's nothing better than eating that ooey-gooey rind at the end.


Hearty Home-style Minestrone

Ingredients

4 oz. salt pork, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 small onions, peeled and chopped

1 leek: white and light green parts only (split in half, rinsed well and sliced thinly)

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 green pepper: cored, seeded, chopped

6-7 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 large carrots: peeled, trimmed and chopped

2 white potatoes, cut into chunks

1/4 cup chopped parsley

6 oz. sliced crimini mushrooms

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons of concentrated tomato paste

5 cups of beef broth

1 Parmesan rind

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 can (15 oz.) of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can sub in Great Northern beans if you wish)

1 cup cooked ditalini

garlic salt and fresh ground pepper

grated Parmesan (optional)


Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven, cook the salt pork for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add in your onion, leek, celery, green pepper and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until onions become translucent. Add in carrots, potatoes, parsley and mushrooms. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add crushed tomatoes and concentrated tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add beef broth and Parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to med-low. Add oregano, bay leaves and basil. Cover and let it gently simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

3. Add 1 cup of peas, 1 can of cannellini beans and 1 cup of cooked ditalini. Season to taste with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Remove bay leaves before serving.

5. Serve with grated Parmesan and a few slices of crusty peasant bread.


* Tip if you plan to freeze the soup, leave the pasta out (it gets soggy). Just boil some up and add it when you're ready to eat the soup.

Lately all this Farm to Fork marketing hubbub seems to be steadily driving up the pricing at my homebase farmers' market (the Sunday one at W and 8th). $5 for a small handful of blueberries? $6 for a basket of figs? Are you kidding me?! Your killin' me Smalls! In fact, a friend just told me this week that she can't afford to shop at the Oak Park farmers' market anymore- it's gotten too rich for her pocketbook! So to keep my wallet from feeling the sting but to still eat healthy, I've been driving out to the farmers' market on Thursday mornings on Florin Road were I can still get the reasonable prices on my fresh, local produce that I've grown accustom to over the years. Many of the vendors at Florin are the same ones that are there on Sunday at W Street with the same stock, just lower prices.

On a recent visit, I was intrigued by these spiky grenade-looking veggies with a rat tail. The vendor described them as being a cucumber and gave me a taste. He used a knife to carve off the outer skin of the "grenade" and told me the flesh was edible- seeds and all. He was right, the taste had some similarity to a cucumber, maybe a little less watery and it had a very slight citrus undertone. I bought a dozen for $1. I figured if I couldn't find a recipe to use it in, the kidlets could use them as weapons, Battle Royale-style.

When I got home, I researched my purchase and it turned out, my new spiny veggie buddy is actually called a maxixe. Maxixes originated in Africa and were brought to Brazil during the slave trade.  These days, they're quite popular in Northeastern Brazil and in the Caribbean. (In the Caribbean they're called the Burr Gherkin.) Most of my research turned up that the maxixe was best enjoyed cooked- mainly in stews or sautéed. Neither sounded very appetizing to me. So I decided to use it in making some Japanese style cucumber salad. It came out pretty good. Kind of a pain in the butt to peel but quite tasty and refreshing.

Maxixe Salad

Ingredients

8-9 maxixes washed, peeled and sliced paper thin

Davis Ranch L.L.C.
13501 Jackson Road, Sloughhouse, CA 95683
(916) 682-2658

The weather started to cool down a wee bit this weekend so I asked my friend Rose if she'd like to go with me out to Sloughhouse on Friday. I hadn't been out there in ages and was craving some of their sweet, fresh corn. We headed out on Jackson Highway and made the quiet, relaxing drive out to Davis Ranch where I stocked up on a big bag of white corn and some red potatoes. There was also a colorful array of squash, zucchini, gourds, beans, peppers and nuts out at the produce stand as well.



We then ambled out back to clip some juicy, red strawberries. Davis Ranch has a big lot where they have hanging strawberry baskets and you can pick your own ripe strawberries straight from the source.  You check in at the stand and they give you a pair of tiny scissors, a basket and instructions to, "wash your hands and clip the strawberries, not yank them." It's a fun summer activity especially if you have little ones with you. For us "older ones," it's great because there's no stooping involved. ☺ Note: The berries were on the smaller side but quite delicious.

My poor blog has been a bit neglected lately and I apologize. Things have been pretty busy here around my cottage and at Mr. S.'s casa. We now have the kidlets full-time so a lot of our time is spent hanging out with them. Lately they've been into bike riding, racing radio controlled (nitro and electric/lipo) cars as well as watching The Office and the X-Games. The full-time thing has been a bit of an adjustment  and definitely exhausting but it was nice when for Mother's Day I received this gorgeous lily plant from Mr.S., the kidlets and Pepper pup.

 

Now this past weekend was a bit insane and I felt like I didn't get much sleep...but it was insane in a good way. My weekend started with an early wake-up, as Saturday morning I was volunteering at the the Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. I was stationed from 10am to 1pm in the game room (aka "The Big Lebowski Room") of my friend Gretchen's phenomenal Eichler home in South Land Park. I had such a fantastic time chatting with the folks that came through and learned all kinds of interesting bits of historical information about the area architecture and furnishings. One sweet gentleman even swapped me one of the Atomic Fireballs in my candy dish for a recipe on how to make a drink that tastes just like an Atomic Fireball (Fireball Whiskey, lemon juice and maple syrup).  The entire morning went by in a flash. After my volunteer shift, my friend Amanda and I went to check out a few of the other homes on the tour. I instantly fell in love with the backyard garden at the Skelly Duplex on Gilgunn Way. Such a great use of space! With it's lush greenery, bubbling water fountain and outdoor firepit, it's the perfect hideaway to curl up in and read a book during the week and soak in some tranquility. Then on weekends, you could switch it up and throw a fun, outdoor dinner party with friends under the stars. *Sigh* Now if only I could convince Mr. S. to build me a gazebo, a little garden studio getaway and an outdoor shower in his backyard like the ones I saw!



Hands down though, my favorite home on the tour is still Gretchen's Eichler. The vintage Ray-Gun collection, whimsical retro lunchbox display and sparkly Sputnik light- all  intermingled with the bright colors, clean lines and big windows- it just makes it such a fun house to be in; it's no surprise that it's been featured in Atomic Ranch magazine. Here's a few random pics I snapped of things that caught my eye:





Now if all that hub-bub wasn't enough to wear me out, I had plans to go to Napa with my friend Michelle to see Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew at the Uptown Theatre that night. It turned out to be quite hilarious... even the fart jokes (ok, maybe I have been hanging out with the kidlets a leeee-tle too much).



Anyhow, amid all this running around, I found the time to make a new recipe...and it's oooh so good! It's made with fresh juicy strawberries, creamy goat cheese and some wonderfully nutty-tasting farro. I also threw in a handful of toasted slivered almonds for crunch and drizzled on some homemade vinaigrette to give it a nice subtle lemon-kissed taste.  You'll love it! It's the perfect quintessential summer recipe. Pack it to take on a romantic weekend picnic, whip up a batch to take to a BBQ with friends or you can even make some to have as part of your weeknight family dinner. (Which is what we did. I served it alongside some seared scallops mixed with morels and topped with a brown butter sauce. Ohhhh yeaaah!) By the way, if you haven't tried farro (pronounced FAHR-oh), it's good stuff! It's a grain that looks a lot like brown rice but has a lighter, chewier texture and a nutty taste. It's also rich in fiber and low in gluten. Farro's also quite easy to cook. You can use it as a replacement for rice in salads, risottos and soups.




Summertime Strawberry and Farro Salad

Ingredients

3 oz. slivered almonds

1 cup semi-pearled or pearled farro

1 basket (pint) of whole strawberries

3 green onions (white and lighter green portion)

1 cup baby spinach leaves

3.5 oz. crumbled goat cheese


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Take a baking sheet and spread the slivered almonds out in a single layer. Place in oven for 5-8 minutes. Flip and stir them about every 2 minutes. Keep a close eye on them as they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly. Remove them from the oven before they brown (remember they'll continue to cook somewhat once they're removed from the oven.)  Allow to cool. Set aside.

3. Rinse the farro. Next, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the farro, cover and return to a boil. Then bring the heat down to medium-low and allow the farro to cook for 30-35 minutes. When it's done most of the water should be absorbed. If you have a little bit of water left, go ahead and drain it off.

4. Place the cooked farro in a bowl and place it in the fridge to cool.

5. While your farro cools- hull and quarter your strawberries, roughly chop your baby spinach leaves, and finely slice the green onion. (If the strawberries are on the smaller side, just cut them in half instead of quarters.)

6. Mix up your vinaigrette (see recipe below).

7. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the farro, strawberries, spinach, green onions and goat cheese. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and mix well.
8. Serve cold.


Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together thoroughly.

2. Chill in refrigerator.

Last week was a great week for two reasons- I made Mr.S. and I the most wonderful dinner on Thursday night (yep, I'm tootin' my own horn) and then on Friday night we saw a fantastic play at the Sacramento Theatre Company. I'm going to take a moment to gush here a bit...if you haven't seen STC's production of Athol Fugard's "Master Harold...and the boys," get your butt off the sofa and go buy your tickets now! This is the second time I've seen this play (I saw it the first time when I was in college) and I have to say this version was amazing. Michael J. Asberry's performance as Sam was so moving that at times I forgot we were watching a play and felt transported to the St. George's Park Tea Room in South Africa. The play takes place in 1950 (during the apartheid era) and tells the story of a 17-year old white boy (Hally) and two black waiters (Sam and Willie) during a rainy afternoon. This timely story of Fugard's does a phenomenal job of discussing oppression and compassion on a large scale (universally) and also on a smaller scale (in our own lives). The content is quite poignant and thought-provoking and the ending will haunt your mind for days afterward (especially when you find out that the play is based on a personal account of Fugard's).

There's a great review in the Bee, if you're interested in finding out more : Master Harold...and the boys. (Btw, this production is not suitable for young children.)


Ok, now back to our regular programming...the awesome dinner I made Thursday night was: pan-fried halibut cheeks accompanied by Israeli couscous mixed with fresh asparagus and mushrooms. Mmm! Simple but super delicious. If you've never had halibut cheeks before, you should definitely try it. It's the sweetest most tender part of the halibut. The cheeks kind of remind me of scallops but flakier.

Now I had never cooked halibut cheeks at home before so I asked one of the friendly fishmongers at Sunh Fish for some direction, his call- just gently pan-fry them. I'm so glad I followed his suggestion  because this is seafood that definitely does not need any futzing. I also made some Israeli couscous to go with it but these cheeks would have been just as good on a bed of sautéed greens.

(If you're unfamiliar with Israeli couscous, it's a wheat-based pasta that's rolled into tiny balls that resemble Nerf pellets. It has a nice nutty taste when toasted.)



Pan-Fried Halibut Cheeks

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh halibut cheeks
2 tablespoons AP flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Gently pat your halibut cheeks dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.

2. Spread the 2 tablespoons of flour on a plate then very, very LIGHTLY dredge the cheeks through the flour. Set aside.

3. Place the skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Place your halibut cheeks on the skillet. Space them out a bit so that they do not touch each other. Let them cook for 2 minutes.  Then using a spatula flip them over. Allow to cook for another minute to a minute and a half.  (Be careful not to overcook the cheeks.)

4. Repeat with remaining butter and fish.

3. Plate. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley (optional).



Israeli Couscous with Fresh Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch of asparagus (woody stems removed, sliced into 1-inch pieces)
1 8-oz. package of crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 small sweet onion, diced
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium sized pan , heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add couscous. Over medium heat, toast the couscous until it's lightly browned.

2. Add 1 3/4 cup of boiling water to the saucepan and couscous. Stir well to combine. Bring the whole lot to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed). Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a separate pan, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add garlic and onions. Cook until onions begin to slightly soften, then add asparagus and mushrooms. Cook 6-8 minutes (depending on how crisp you like your asparagus). Stir occasionally.

4. Remove from heat. Add veggie mixture to cooked couscous. Add grated Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss. Serve.

I recently came back into touch with a friend whom I had not seen or spoken with in several years. One of the first questions she asked me when we hung out last week was, "What new condiments can you recommend?" Now readers, I have to be honest with you...I have a severe condiment problem. I'm a condiment hoarder. I love them, my fridge is full of them and I use them all. It ranges the whole gamut: umeboshi paste to truffle salt to yuzu hot sauce and furikake; it's all in there mixed together with the Sriracha, Korean Gochujang, Maggi Seasoning, and good ol' Heinz Ketchup. It's nice, it's wonderful...it's also taking over my fridge! Anyhow..............I thought long and hard and emailed her back about "Nanami Togarashi." I totally have a spice crush on Nanami Togarashi right now.

Nanami Togarashi typically contains coarsely ground red pepper, ground sansho peppercorns, roasted mandarin peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ground ginger and nori. It's spicy (but not crazy-spicy) and has a lovely citrus-centric flavor to it. I love dashing some Nanami Togarashi on my udons, ramens, sneaking it into my dark chocolate desserts and even sprinkling some on pork products (ribs, mmmm!) ; but most of all, I enjoy pairing it with fresh avocado. One of my favorite afternoon snacks is- sliced avocado topped with lime juice, a bit of sea salt and a few shakes of Nanami Togarashi. Mmmmm!  I love how the simple seasonings enhance the natural flavor of the avocado. It's delicious and quite addictive.

If you're interested in trying it, you can purchase Nanami Togarashi at most Asian stores (Oto's carries it here in Sacramento) or you can get it on Amazon. A bottle should run you about $5, but a little goes a long way.

Lately all the talk shows, magazines and public relations companies are all atwitter about local foods this and farm-to-table that, repeating those buzzwords over and over and over, until you just want to say, "Enough!". Especially for most of us Sacramentans who have been eating seasonal, local foods for ages...way before the bandwagon rolled up. It's nothing new. I know most of my friends have been hitting the farmers' markets in town way before it became cool to do so. Regardless whether you became a locavore years ago or are just now coming around to it, it's still exciting when you're presented with beautiful veggies and sweet just-picked fruits. Recently during one of my shopping trips, I picked up some Chioggia beets. I love, love, love Chioggia beets! Not only are these heirloom veggies tasty but they're gorgeous and a bit milder then their purple counterparts.  Their vibrant, fuschia, candy-cane striped interiors are absolutely adorable; which makes it hard for me to just roast them up like I normally do with my regular ol' beets. (Note: Roasting Chioggias diminishes their lovely color and stunning concentric pattern.)  Yes, I'm quite smitten with them! So this time around, I decided to make a refreshing raw beet salad. I julienned my beets but you could also use a mandolin to create thinly sliced rounds with swirling bulls-eyes, if you wish. Quite hypnotizing and trés cute in my opinion!


Now let me warn you- raw beets are not for everyone. They have a crisp texture and sweet, earthy taste that you either love or hate. Now I'm in the love camp but I know lots of people who place raw beets in the "ick, yuck, phooey" category even though they like roasted beets.

By the way, beets are super nutritious. They have lots of potassium, fiber and iron and this salad is a great way to showcase beets in all their raw glory. Pairing the beets with Fuji apples gives the salad a bit of ying and yang  (earthy and sweet) and the Greek yogurt dressing rounds out the flavor profile by gives the dish a kick of tang. The salad is easy to prepare ahead of time (in fact I like to let it sit for awhile in the fridge, so that the flavors have a chance to meld together before I eat it).

Tip: When shopping for beets look for firm-skinned ones that are relatively blemish-free and on the smaller side with perky greens. Smaller tends to be sweeter in the beet world.

Crisp Chioggia Beet and Fuji Apple Salad

Ingredients

2 medium sized Chioggia beets (or 3 small)

2 medium sized Fuji apples

1/3 cup Greek yogurt (plain flavored)

3 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1.5 teaspoons honey


Instructions


1. Wash beets thoroughly. I have a little scrub brush I use to get all the tiny bits of dirt off. Remove the tops and tails. Dry thoroughly.

2. Peel the beets and julienne. Do the same with the apples. Set aside.

3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, orange juice, zest and honey. Whisk it up.

4. Pour the yogurt dressing over the beets and apples. Toss until well coated. Place in refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour so the flavors have a chance to intermingle. Serve cold.

Optional: Garnish with fresh microgreens or chopped flat-leaf parsley right before serving.

Pickled "Easter Egg" Radishes

Ingredients

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (champagne vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bunch of Easter Egg Radishes
4-5 spring red onions, greens removed and ends trimmed - (optional)

* Be sure to keep the greens from the radishes and the spring red onions, they're edible and delicious!


Instructions

1. Wash and dry radishes. Snip off tops and tails. Quarter or halve them (your choice).

2. In a medium sized saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar and water. Bring it to a nice boil. Stir the mixture frequently until all the sugar dissolves.

3. Remove saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool.

4. Place the cut radishes in a clean jar. I threw in a few spring red onions that I had laying around as well.

5. Pour the mixture over the radishes and onions. Cover with lid and ring.

6. Place in the fridge.

7. You can start eating them the next day. The pickled radishes will keep for 3-4 weeks.

Note: As the radishes sit in the vinegar-sugar mixture, the liquid will turn a vibrant pink/red. That's normal, don't worry.

Tip: If your radishes aren't as crisp as you'd like, drop them in some ice water and pop them in the fridge for about 15 minutes- they'll revive.