Marinated Mustard Vegetables: Recipe

I don't think you can ever have enough vegetable recipes. Growing up I ate vegetables steamed and served plain. Frankly I found them pretty boring served that way and I still do. Vegetables should be savored. Of course drenching them in hollandaise sauce or butter makes them taste good, but that's not the only way to dress them up. I like sauteing vegetables with a little red chili, garlic, sprinkling them with fresh herbs, Indian spices, drizzling on any numbers of flavorings.

So often the recipes I develop for clients are very meat-oriented. I like challenging myself to come up with interesting vegetable dishes when I can. This marinated vegetable salad was developed because I wanted to find something that would be good for a potluck, It uses a variety of vegetables and can be served cold or at room temperature, but won't wilt like a green salad.

Unlike some dishes that I have to repeat several times to get right, this one was a surprise because it came out great the first time I tried it. I like experimenting with mustard as a seasoning for vegetables. We usually think of it as something to serve on hot dogs but it is so much more versatile than that. The Moroccan mustard from Dulcet Cuisine has pungent flavors of ginger, coriander, garlic and paprka in it. Just a mere tablespoon flavors a big batch of vegetables beautifully. You could easily vary the vegetables to taste. It keeps very well in the refrigerator.

Marinated Mustard Vegetables

2 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups button mushrooms, cut into chunks
1 cup zucchini, cut into chunks
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Moroccan mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine vegetables in a large zip lock bag; set aside. Combine vinegar, mustard and olive oil in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour over vegetables, and toss the bag gently to coat them completely. The mixture will seem a bit dry, but the vegetables will become more juicy as they marinate. Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

One Local Summer Vegetable Salad: Recipe

Today is National Salad Day. Would I make that up? Actually I got several emails reminding me about it. I was going to post a vegetable salad when I realized, it was also an all local dish which fits nicely with the One Local Summer event where participants make one meal a week with local ingredients. It's an early version of a recipe I made for my recipe development client. The vegetables--zucchini, corn, peppers and eggplant all came from Capay Organic, the lemon from Los Gatos and the olive oil from Napa. Voila! One local Summer Vegetable Salad. I served it with Sonoma lamb chops.

While the idea is to eat at least one local meal a week, I actually had another meal that was primarily local this week. Ok, the rice and spices weren't but the Spicy Eggplant and Tomatoes dish had Capay Organic eggplant and Greenbrae backyard-grown tomatoes. Delicious stuff and so fresh tasting. I got the recipe from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes, a terrific book written by local food writer and cooking instructor Ruta Kahate. Last week I posted an interview with Ruta over at Bay Area Bites. This week you can read my review of her book and see a recipe for a scrumptious beef curry.

The recipe for my One Local Summer Vegetable Salad is as easy as it is versatile. Serve it as a salad or a side dish. I could see adding some crumbled cheese to it and calling it a main dish, and any of the vegetables could be swapped out for something you prefer--tomatoes, patty pan squash, red onions, whatever you like. Change up the dressing too if you prefer something different.

Grilled Vegetable Salad
serves 4

2 Japanese eggplants
2 ears of corn
2 zucchini
2 bell peppers
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Dressing
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Cut and core the bell peppers into 1 - 2 inch pieces. Cut the zucchini and eggplants lengthwise into three strips then cut each strip into 1 -2 inch chunks. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill for 8 minutes over a charcoal grill or in a cast iron grill pan, turning once. Cook the corn on the grill for 20 minutes (husks will burn) then husk and slice kernels off the cob (or husk the cobs, wrap in foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes) Toss all vegetables with the dressing and warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites is my review of Ruta Kahate's book 5 Spices, 50 Dishes

FOOD

Arugula Shrimp Salad: Recipe

You may have noticed that there haven't been very many new recipes around here lately. But it's not because I haven't been cooking. I've actually been cooking quite a bit. The recipes I've been working on have been for a wine retailer so I haven't shared the results here the way I usually do. Now that one of the recipes is up on the client's site, I thought I'd go ahead and reprint it here.

It's a fun challenge pairing recipes with wines. You can plan all you like, but ultimately you just have to taste your dish with the wine and see what develops. Sometimes one element can throw the whole thing off. Other times it just sings. When I learned I would be pairing a dish with a Pinot Gris I decided I would put together a seafood salad. I was very lucky that the dressing only took a couple of tries to get right.

Even though I created this recipe almost two months ago, the ingredients are perfect right now. In fact my organic produce box, delivered from the farm this week, featured two of the main ingredients, avocados and arugula. I also happen to have a couple of Meyer lemons on hand and maybe you do too? If you are looking for an elegant salad, I hope you will enjoy this one as much as I did.

Arugula and Endive Salad with Shrimp and Meyer Lemon Dressing

Serves 4

Meyer lemon vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic. pressed through a garlic press
1/3 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
zest of one Meyer lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Shrimp:
28 small shrimp (51-60/lb size) about 8 ounces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Salad:
2 1/2 ounces arugula (1/2 of a 5 ounce bag)
2 medium belgian endive, sliced crosswise into strips
1 avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the salt, honey, garlic, lemon juice, lemon peel and olive oil.

Peel and de-vein shrimp. In a small bowl toss shrimp with salt, a couple grinds of pepper and olive oil. Place shrimp on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake for 4 or 5 minutes or until pink and cooked through.

Toss the salad with about a 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Divide salad greens onto four salad plates. Scoop out bits of avocado using a teaspoon and place with shrimp on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

FOOD

Tofu and Celery Salad: Recipe

There is something tremendously satisfying about making meals out of virtually nothing. Of course, my pantry is far from bare. But there are times the fridge is almost empty. Today I am enroute to a conference and as a result I'd been too busy to shop and so on Monday I was faced with very little to work with. In fact I was down to not much more than a package of tofu and some organic celery!

I had thought I would make scrambled tofu for breakfast one day, but really it just doesn't work without toast. Searching on the newly designed Epicurious web site I found what sounded like a terrific recipe. As usual I made some tweaks and the result was very satisfying indeed. For one thing I used soft tofu which I think absorbs the vinaigrette better and I skipped the sesame seeds and added some ginger. I think you could also add garlic if you like. I could see making this for a potluck or serving it as a light and cool no-cook Summer dinner.

Poor tofu, so many people seem to dislike it. But not me. I love it's creaminess and mellow flavor. This recipe is for tofu lovers and will not win over anyone who finds the texture of tofu unappealing. It reminds me a bit of those Japanese appetizers like the Summer dish hiya yakko tofu which consists of a cube of cold tofu served with a garnish of thinly sliced ginger and green onion, in a bowl with some soy and yuzu. If you are a tofu lover, give it a try, if not, just move along.

Tofu and Celery Salad
2- 4 side salad portions

1 (14-oz) block of firm or extra firm silken tofu
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (if using seasoned omit black pepper)
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 large ribs of celery

Rinse tofu and pat dry, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in 1 layer on a triple thickness of paper towels on top of a large baking sheet, then cover with another triple thickness of paper towels and another baking sheet if you have one. Weight the pan down with 3 1-lb cans or a large cast iron skillet to remove excess moisture and firm it up, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together oils, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and pepper in a large bowl. Trim celery, then slice very thin diagonally. Cut tofu crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide matchsticks and transfer to a bowl. Toss gently with dressing, celery and season to taste. Do not use a spoon or you will break up the tofu. Served chilled.

Enjoy!

READ MORE Over at Bay Area Bites is an announcement about the Tofu Hakiu contest. I swear, I am NOT making this up!

FOOD