This is my take on yet another amazing recipe from Plenty.  I roasted the mushrooms instead of marinating them (because even though I don’t consider myself a picky eater at all, I just can’t do raw mushrooms).  I also omitted the fava beans because I really don’t care for them (so maybe I am a little bit of a picky eater?)

I was all set to serve it as you see it above, but then Mike brought out some lettuce and it became abundantly clear that lettuce wraps were the way to go.

A brilliant move on his part.

I went for my first post-marathon run today, and given how shredded my quads felt on Sunday, it was surprisingly enjoyable.  I know this is when I’m most likely to get injured so I’m going to stick to the every other day plan for at least a week or two.  After all, I don’t have any races on the schedule until July, so there’s really no hurry.

Then I came home and Ellie helped me fold laundry.

I seriously had no idea it was possible to love a small human this much.

Around here, Christmas means cookies…

more cookies…

snow (which fortunately didn’t stick!)

gingerbread houses

candles from when my mom was a kid (not sure why they look so creepy here)

and maybe some more cookies

As much as I love stuffing myself with cookies (my sister made all of them and she is an insanely good baker), sometimes I just need vegetables. And look, they can be festive too!

I first made this salad for my work Christmas part and although it’s pretty basic, it’s delicious and brightly colored and perfect for Christmas (even if the tomatoes aren’t exactly seasonal. Oops). I have a basil plant in my kitchen so it was easy to include fresh basil, but I realize that can be a challenge this time of year so it’s not absolutely necessary.

Recipe:

one head of romaine lettuce, large outer leaves removed
a few handfuls assorted cherry tomatoes (a mix of red and yellow is good)
a few tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 ounces crumbled feta
2 tbsp minced roasted red pepper

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Cut the head of lettuce crosswise into 1″ pieces. Wash and drain thoroughly, then place in a large bowl

Slice the tomatoes in half and add to the lettuce.

Rinse the red onion slices under cold running water and drain well.

Toss the lettuce, tomatoes, basil, onions, feta, and red peppers together.

Whisk the olive oil, balsamic, mustard, salt and pepper, and add to the salad (you may not need to use all of it). Toss well and then serve.

This is one of those “throw whatever’s left in the fridge together and hope it’s edible” meals that I’ve been making pretty much weekly for at least a year. It never seemed like enough of a recipe to put on the blog, but since it’s reasonably healthy and is one of my favorite things, I guess now is a decent time to share it. And also I’m still not to the point where I’m okay with just blatantly talking about my life… I feel like I need to give you a recipe even though what I really want to tell you about is running 25 miles on the Leif Erickson trail.

At a little over 11 miles long, I had to do some sections of the trail a couple times to total 25 miles. Mike and I started out with my dad, who ran the first 6 with us then turned back and came to meet us later.

The weather was cold and cloudy but it never rained on us and we actually got to see the sun a couple times!

I LOVE this trail. And I’m feeling a lot more confident about my 50K (in 3 weeks. Dear lord.) now that I’ve done a 25 mile training run. I know the terrain will be a whole lot harder, but this was definitely a mental boost.

Sunday morning, sadly, we were back on the road to California. The drive was pretty uneventful…just endless cold pizza and energy drinks, and a really pretty stop at a Scenic View Point. I never stop at those, but the valley was just so pretty I had to.

And that is the last snow I hope to see for a really long time.

After the drive all I wanted was vegetables and lots of them. So I chopped up pretty much everything that was in the fridge, made my favorite simple dressing, and devoured it before collapsing into bed (WHY is driving so tiring?!)

This dressing is pretty spicy, but you can scale down the chili garlic sauce. You can also use just about any vegetable you want, but I’m listing my most frequently used mix.

Recipe:

dressing
4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (look near sambal oelek and sriracha in the Asian section)
2 tbsp warm water

1 heart of romaine, thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 small carrots, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
3 tbsp chopped green onion
3 Persian cucumbers (or 1/2 an English cucumber), seeded and diced

Whisk the dressing ingredients until smooth.
Toss with the vegetables.

Sometimes I find it kind of shocking how clueless I was when I started this blog back in the summer of 2008. I put up crappy pictures (and sometimes no pictures at all) with maybe a sentence (or two if I was feeling particularly inspired) along the lines of “I really enjoyed this because of the succulent roasted beets and I’m sure you will too!”

No wonder I didn’t have many readers.

Well buried in the not-so-pretty archives of this very blog are some pretty good recipes that deserve more attention and a better post than they initially had, so I’m planning on periodically revisiting the best of them, and sprucing them up a little bit.

I knew my fattoush could use a little work, so I looked at a few rcipes for inspiration, played around with how I used to make it, and came up with this. Sumac has become such a favorite spice in our house that we have a quart-sized jar full of it, and our friends introduced us to the BEST pita ever (Mediterranean brand Plain Brick Oven Pita Bread…definitely worth searching for), so I’m ready to make this salad any time I feel like it, which is becoming pretty often.

Recipe:

1 large pita, cut into 1.5″ squares
1 head romaine
2-3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 persian cucumbers (or 1 English cucumber), diced
3 tbsp sliced green onions
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sumac

Preheat the oven to 425 and arrange the pita squares on a baking sheet. Toast for 5-10 minutes, or until golden.

Slice the romaine crosswise and wash with a salad spinner. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the tomatoes, green onions, cucumber, and mint. To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and sumac. Pour the desired amount over the vegetables (you may not need all of it) and toss well. Top with the pita pieces just before serving.

I’ve blogged about rolls a lot like these before, but it was back when ten people read my blog (and most of them were in my family). These are an updated vegan version, without the noodles inside because I think they’re a lot better (not to mention easier to roll up) this way. The marinated tempeh provides a nice textural contrast to the vegetables in addition to some protein. I think the marinade would also work really well for chicken, if you’d rather put that in yours.

These are perfect for hot summer days because of how little cooking is involved, and they’re superbly light and refreshing. I love dipping them in either sweet chili sauce (look at Asian grocery stores) or hoisin sauce with some chopped peanuts stirred in. If you’re not going to eat them right away, through a damp tea towel over them so the wrappers don’t dry out.

Recipe:
(marinade adapted from Haiku Tofu)

1 package tempeh
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 chopped fresh Thai chili
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp vegetable oil

8-10 rice paper spring roll wrappers
1 small bunch green leaf or butter lettuce
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded, julienned

Sweet chili sauce or hoisin sauce with chopped peanuts, for dipping

To make the tempeh, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, chili, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cut the tempeh into thin strips and add to the soy sauce mixture. Add enough water to just cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 12 mintues, or until all the liquid has been absorbed, watching carefully so you don’t scorch the bottom of the pan.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add the tempeh in a single layer. Cook, flipping once, until golden on both sides. Remove from heat.

To assemble: Have all filling ingredients ready, and fill a shallow pan with warm water.

Submerge the rice paper in warm water until pliable, about 30 seconds. Shake off excess water, then place on a clean cutting board. Pile a little lettuce, cilantro, mint, carrots, cucumber, and tempeh in the center, fold in the sides, and roll up burrito-style. Slice in half and transfer to a plate.

Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, and serve with dipping sauce.

This year concluded my decade-plus run of not touching Asian pears. It’s not like there is anything particularly wrong with them, but on my exceedingly scientific hierarchy of fruits I wish to consume, they don’t rank terribly highly.

When my grandparents moved into their new house (well, new about 14 years ago), they happened to have an Asian pear tree in the backyard. After tasting one of the crunchy, juicy, delicately flavored fruits for the first time, I hoped this tree would mean and endless supply of fruit for a few solid months. And that’s exactly what it meant. That tree produced pounds and pounds of Asian pears – more than we could possibly eat. By the end of the season, most members of my family decided they never needed to eat another Asian pear again, and thus my unplanned abstinence from Asian pears began.

Lately the produce trucks (with which I have a love-hate relationship – I LOVE that they bring cheap, fresh produce to my street but I HATE that they blast a recorded spiel about they’re selling at 7:00 AM) have been full of Asian pears roughly the size of my head. They’re sweet and crisp and divine, and Mike is head over heels for them. So we buy them by the bag and keep a steady supply in the fridge.

While it’s rare that they aren’t devoured within hours of purchase, the other day, one wayward pear remained on a shelf. I pulled some lettuce out of the crisper, toasted some walnuts, and whisked together a honey balsamic vinaigrette. The acid in the vinegar played well off the sweet pear, and are toasted nuts ever a bad choice in a salad? (Okay, yes, but it’s rare). I think Asian pears may now be moving up in the ranks of my favorite fruits.

Recipe
Lettuce
Asian pear, thinly sliced
Walnuts

Dressing:
1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part honey
1 part olive oil

Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet, shaking occasionally, until fragrant.
Wash and dry the lettuce, and tear into bite sized pieces. Place in a large bowl.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients, add as much as desired to the lettuce, and toss well.
Place the lettuce on individual plates, then top with a few slices of pear and a sprinkling of walnuts.

The other day my neighbor made a fantastic salad that I loved so much I decided to make it my mission to improve my salad-making skills.  I turned to my cookbooks for a recipe and some inspiration, and I found this gem in an Indian cookbook.

Cucumber is always refreshing, and with peanuts and coconut added into the mix, the result is a crunchy and satisfying salad.  The dressing is outrageously simple and marries two of my favorite flavors, lemon and cumin.

(adapted from Bombay Cafe by Neela Paniz)
1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut (or fresh grated coconut if you have it)
1 serrano chile, seeds and stem removed, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
about 6 leaves romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice, cumin, sugar, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, serrano, cilantro, and coconut.
Pour in the lemon juice mixture and toss well.  Set aside 15 minutes at room temperature.
Add the peanuts and lettuce and toss until the dressing is evenly distributed.