I spent 10 days in Israel and now consider myself an expert on Israeli salad. As one does.
But David Lebovitz had some pretty good ideas about it too.
I mean, how could you not with a name like Lebovitz.
Israeli Salad (from David Lebovitz)
You'll need
1 ripe tomato
1 cucumber
1 carrot- peeled
2-3 tbsp red onion- chopped
1 small beet- peeled
arugula
1/4 c parsley or cilantro- chopped*
2/3 c mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc...)- chopped
1/3 c feta or goat cheese- crumbled
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper
* If you want to get crazy, try mint, chives, tarragon... every country claims this salad as their own.
-Chop all the vegetables into tiny tiny cubes. Slice the arugula.
-Toast the nuts in a skillet (no oil), over medium heat and shake the pan frequently so they don't burn. Stop when they are a little brown and you can smell them.
-Mix all of the vegetables, nuts, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
-Serve pretty quickly, no one likes old salad.
Spotify has changed my life again by introducing me to LP
It's common knowledge that I'm a sucker for whistling.
When I saw the recipe title for Company Eggs, I thought it was going to be some cute thing with eggs that have a buddy, say of bread (side note, I'm going to go make Eggs in a Pocket now) and presented in a way that makes you never want to eat eggs without the buddy again.
This isn't that, it's simply eggs that work well for company. They are glorified baked eggs.
No problems on this end though, but that might be the mountain of cream and cheese speaking.
You'll need:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion- sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 bunches of Swiss chard- backbone and stems removed, leaves chopped.
1/2 c heavy cream
6 large eggs
2 oz sharp white cheddar cheese- grated
You'll need to:
-Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, throw in onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft, about 8-10 minutes.
-Throw the chard in the skillet, let it wilt a little. Cook/toss until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add cream and simmer until thick, another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
-Lay the chard down in a baking pan, make 6 little dips in the chard and crack 1 egg into each. Season with more salt/pepper (or a little paprika, if you're into that). Sprinkle the cheese over (think heavy dandruff).
-Bake until the egg whites are almost set and the yolks are runny, 15-18 minutes. Pull it out when you are still a little worried about the whites, because they'll still cook for another 5 minutes when you let them sit before serving.
I'd never heard of them before this and I'm hooked. It's intense and emo, with a horn section. They rock out to power ballads about joy. This album feels all the feelings at a 10 and instead of scoffing at them, I head bob along.
Be careful of swaying while cooking though, it can lead to some disasters.
I've never experienced a New York summer, but believe me, I've been warned and I live in fear.
I'm prepping for the complete and utter rejection of any hot foods and building my cold foods list.
I don't really like traditional coleslaw. too much mayo = no fun at all.
But the food blogosphere is atwitter with new takes and updates on slaw.
Here's my humble contribution
Asparagus Slaw
2 bunches asparagus
2 carrots
2 cucumbers
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tsp raw honey
2 tbsp unrefined sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Preparation:
-Boil a pot of water, wash the asparagus and snap off the woody ends. Blanch the asparagus (drop in the boiling water for 5-10 secs, remove and put in a bowl of ice water.
-Julienne or shred the asparagus, carrots and cucumber. Add in onions, toss.
-Prep the dressing- whisk the tahini, Braggs, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and honey. Whisk in oil.
-Pour over the veges, toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let sit for 15-20 mins to get juicy.
I really really liked this. There was just a tad too much juice, but that is the definition of a first world problem.
Everyone (i.e. VH1 when it's on the TV at the gym) is talking about The Black Keys, so I finally broke down and gave their new-ish album, El Camino.
They should be my jams. It's blues-rocky, it's dirty, dark and dance-able.
But I'm really not digging them.
Maybe I'm just too late to this bandwagon, maybe they remind me of Kings of Leon a little too much, maybe I've heard too many bands just like them, maybe I'm over the hipster caveman vibe (that's a lie, I'll never be over it) and maybe I'm not a air guitar kind of gal.
Yes, that pick up line is weak. I know. But you try and come up with one about hummus.
One of the biggest things I've had to adjust to with living in New York is that the produce goes bad.
Seriously.
Fruits and vegetables in Alaska are flown in. Meaning they are picked early and chock-full of preservatives to make sure they survive the flight and grocery shelf time. I've sat on avocados for 2 weeks waiting for them to ripen.
That's not the case in NY.
It still surprises me when my bananas turn brown after 2 days.
I'm learning the art of using up rapidly fading produce, fast.
I'm learning the art of the kitchen sink salads, stir fries and....
(Kitchen Sink) Spinach Hummus
-2 c chickpeas (or 2 15 oz cans)
-Leftover Spinach (or leafy greens, roasted red pepper, roasted onions etc...)
-2 tbsp tahini
-1/2 c pine nuts- toasted if you have enough forethought
-6 cloves garlic- see above.
-Olive Oil
-Cumin, black pepper, salt, cayenne, paprika, chilies, sun dried tomatoes, feta, cilantro, caramelized onions, whatever your heart desires and needs to get used.
-(if you are starting with uncooked chickpeas- soak overnight, boil in water for about an hour, cool).
-Put everything in a food processor. Blend until smooth. I like to use cayenne and paprika to kick it up a notch. Use within 3 days or freeze.
Note- make sure the garlic cloves get blended in or face the wrath of your co-workers the next day when you eat a whole one.
I finally gave a listen to The Shins new album, Port of Morrow.
Like everyone else, I was a fan of The Shins in college. I went to the capital of easy listening, where people slack lined, long boarded, smoked bowls in the arboretum (not a euphemism) and listened to Dave Matthews like it was their job.
This is posted on the un-named schools website.
Unsurprisingly, The Shins were very popular and in an attempt to be "cool" I jumped on the bandwagon. I wanted to shun the bluegrass, folk and klezmer music upbringing (with some Sound of Music to nurture the budding theatre nerd) and "get with the picture." I wanted to talk about seeing The Shins at the Gorge during Sasquatch and discuss how excited we all were to go camp for 3 days, with 80,000 people to see them again next year.
I desperately wanted to be a part of pop culture and The Shins were my gateway.
Being at this meant you were cool.
I gained clarity in leaving undergrad, embraced my "local-yokel," back-country, frontier-esque upbringing and let go of The Shins. They were just a little too twee, too emo and too indie for me. I shunned The Shins and embraced the bluegrass.
So when I saw they had a new album (and I just figured out how to use Spotify), I decided to give them a second chance.
Still not doing it for me.
They sound exactly the same, in style and in each individual song. There's nothing new and I don't feel the urge to sing along and cry (because that's what everyone does with The Shins..right?).
I'm sorry to any Shins fans. But seriously!? Seriously.
But... If I ever decide to try and embrace the long-boarding, rock climbing and drinking on the dorm roof to avoid the RA's lifestyle again, I might give them a 3rd chance.
In other news. I saw Andrew Bird, unplugged and live on WNYC's Soundcheck this past week.
A. Dream fulfilled
B. Inner fan girls (all of them) are running rampant
C. I can die happy
D. In no way am I hip enough to meld into this audience base here. But I'm now okay with my "I'm not from here" persona.
