Apple, Pomegranate & Kale Quinoa Salad

How the heck did it become fall again?! This year has flown by and I am not ready to break out sweaters yet- ugh. #whereistheendlesssummer But to be fair- I am ready for the fall foods- bring it on! Chris and I picked up some delicious apples from Bishop's Orchards in Guilford this past weekend and I decided to do a healthy food recipe collab with my homegirl and beautiful nutritionist friend- Katie Diehl. I came up with the recipe and she wrote about the health benefits of the recipe- all based on the apple season. Yay! The collaboration is featured on www.darienmoms.com this week also- woohoo! Check out that website and Katie's new lovely site at: www.diehlnutrition.com These ladies are killing it. Oh and after you're done scoping out their sites, make this recipe because it's plain ol' fabulous. 

Apple, Pomegranate & Kale Quinoa Salad

Fridge:

1 cup pomegranate seeds 

1 to 1 1/2 cups baby kale, large stems removed and roughly chopped 

1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tbs mint, finely minced

1 1/2 tbs Italian parsley, finely minced 

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 

Counter:

2 cups apples (I used honeycrisp and ginger gold)- small dice, skin on

1 1/2 cups water 

Juice of 1 lemon (approx 2-3 tbs) 

Pantry:

1 cup quinoa 

4 tbs apple cider vinegar 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs honey

Pepper to taste 

Tools:

Small pot with lid

Large mixing bowl

Small mixing bowl 

Mixing spoon/spatula 

Whisk 

Fork 

Measuring cups/spoons 

Cutting board

Chopping knife 

In the small pot add quinoa, water and 1/2 tsp of salt with a few cracks of fresh pepper. Place on medium high on the stove and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to very low, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and remove the lid. Allow to cool. Using a fork, mix the quinoa. Allow to cool completely. You can refrigerate if you prefer. 

In the large bowl add the small apple dices and squeeze half the lemon juice on top. Mix with a spoon to coat apple pieces. Add the cooled quinoa to the large bowl. Add the pomegranate seeds, kale, scallions, mint, parsley and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice onto the entire salad. Mix well. 

In the small bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste, honey and olive oil. This is the dressing. Pour over the quinoa salad when ready to serve or up to a day before. This salad keeps for 5 days so it's a great side to make ahead. Enjoy it! Xo

Baja Fish Taco with Southwestern Chipotle Slaw

Taco Tuesdays has legit become a thing. My Instagram is filled with hashtags and tacos and chips and margaritas every Tuesday. I am constantly craving them and having FOMO. Not this past Tuesday though!! Chris and I decided to have a date night at home and I made these awesome fish tacos. There are a few steps and I did little over the course of a day- so don't feel overwhelmed to do it all at once. The slaw can be made the night before. But once it's done- it's SO worth it!! Chris said it was even better than my old restaurant, Mamasa's fish taco. Impossible! 

Baja Fish Tacos with Southwestern Chipotle Slaw

Slaw:

3 cups of red/purple cabbage, thinly julienned 

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn kernels, cooked, cooled and cut off the cob 

1/2 cup red pepper, small dice

1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced

2 tbs cilantro, minced 

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste 

Slaw Dressing:

1 cup (8 oz) of sour cream 

1 1/2 tbs of adobo sauce from chipotle can (add actually chipotles, minced if you like heat) 

2 tbs cilantro, minced 

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime (approx 2 tsp) 

1/4 tsp cumin powder 

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste 

Fish:

2- 3 large filets of tilapia or solid white fish, cut into strips (easily fit in your choice of tortilla side)- 

6 tortillas 

1/2 cup flour 

1tbs Cajun seasoning

2 eggs, whisked 

1 1/4 cups plain Panko breadcrumbs 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Juice of 1 lemon 

1 avocado, sliced for serving 

Lime slices for serving 

5 tbs of canola oil 

Tools: 

Frying pan 

Spatula or tongs

Large mixing bowl 

Small mixing bowl

3 plates or shallow wide bowls

Salad serving spoon/tongs

Whisk

Measuring cups/spoons 

Cutting board 

Chopping knife 

For the slaw: In a large bowl mix together all ingredients listed under slaw. Combine well.

For the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients listed under dressing. Set aside to dress the slaw before serving if you like a crisp slaw or an hour before serving if you prefer it a little softer. I prefer mine crisp. You do not need to use all the dressing if you don't want to. 

For the Baja fish: In the first shallow bowl add flour and Cajun spice. Mix well. In second shallow bowl add the whisked eggs. In third shallow bowl add the Panko breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. This will be your order for breading the fish. 

Squeeze half of the lemon onto the fish strips. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Take each strip and dredge them in the flour mixture, then dip them in the eggs and finally coat them in the Panko breadcrumbs. Put on a plate until ready to fry. 

Heat the canola oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the breaded fish strips to the pan. Be sure to not overcrowd it, as that brings the oil temperature down. Depending on your pan size, you may need to fry in batches. It takes about 2-3 minutes per side for thicker pieces and 1-2 minutes per side for thinner ones. If they are browning too fast, turn down the heat to medium/low. 

Remove fish from frying pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. 

Serve tacos by placing the tortilla on the plate, add the fish strips on top, then the southwestern chipotle slaw with a couple strips of avocado and lime slices on the side. Omg so good! I want another one right now. Enjoy them!! Xo

Lemon Ricotta Flaxseed Pancakes

Sundays are meant for pancakes. And crossword puzzles and Netflix. But more importantly, pancakes. These lemon ricotta flaxseed pancakes are delicious and a nice change to the bisquik style pancakes. They are creamy with a subtle lemon flavor. I made a double batch so I could have extra batter for the next day. They're so good. And with the healthy addition of flaxseed for fiber and omega 3s- it's definitely (slightly) more healthy than a regular ol' pancake. Try it this weekend! 

Lemon Ricotta Flaxseed Pancakes 

Fridge: 

1 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta 

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk 

Counter:

1/4 cup plus 1 tbs fresh lemon juice 

Zest of 1 lemon (approx 1 tsp) 

Pantry:

1 1/4 cup ap flour

1/4 cup ground flaxseed 

3 tbs sugar 

3 tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon extract (or vanilla if you prefer) 

Canola oil spray 

Tools:

2 medium bowls

Whisk

Measuring cups/spoons 

Ladle or ice cream scoop or pitcher 

Microplane or zester

Nonstick pan

Spatula (wide one) 

In first bowl add your ricotta, eggs, lemon extract, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk well. 

In second bowl add your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Pour into the wet ingredient bowl. Combine both until just incorporated. Don't over mix. 

Warm the nonstick pan to medium heat. If you're using a pitcher to pour batter- move batter into that. Otherwise get your ladle or ice cream scoop ready. Spray pan with canola oil. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the center of the pan. Allow it to spread naturely. Once it bubbles throughout the whole pancake (not just the edges)- it's time to flip. Gently flip over using your wide spatula. Each side should take a couple minutes to cook. 

Remove to a warmed oven to serve them all at once or begin eating right away- which is what I did. I almost didn't get a photo! Best part is you can make this batter the night before and have it ready to go the next morning. Makes weekend mornings a real treat! Enjoy!! Xo

Strawberry Rhubarb Basil Galette

The best part of not having a green thumb is all the lovely people who actually do and their excess of produce during the summer months. We were given a ton of rhubarb this week by one of Chris' co-workers and it has gone into two berry crumbles and this gorgeous galette. My favorite thing about this dessert is how simple it is to make and the wow factor when you pull it out at a dinner party. You'd think I'd have slaved all day in the kitchen making this- but nope. It's a quick 15 minutes to put it together and the oven does the rest. I love this dessert! It's quintessential summer flavors and with a little homemade whipped cream- it's perfection. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Basil Galette 

Fridge:

1 lb strawberries, sliced

1 to 1 1/4 cups rhubarb, sliced 

1 tbs basil, minced (I had a combo of purple and green from another garden) 

1/2 tbs butter, cut into tiny cubes 

1 egg

Splash of milk 

Freezer: 

1 frozen pie crust dough 

(not the ones in a pie dish already) I use trader joes, comes in a 2 crust pack, defrosted 

Counter:

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbs)

Pantry:

4 tbs white sugar, more for sprinkling on egg wash 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbs cornstarch (or flour if you prefer) 

Pinch of salt 

Few pinches of flour for counter 

Spray for baking tray or parchment paper 

Tools:

Large bowl

Small bowl

Rolling pin

Measuring spoons/cups

Chopping knife

Cutting board 

Pastry brush 

Mixing spoon 

Fork or whisk

Baking sheet/tray  

Parchment paper if you're using it

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking sheet with canola oil or put parchment paper down.

In the large bowl add strawberries, rhubarb, basil, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Mix together well. Set aside.

Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour. Take your defrosted dough and roll it into a 1/4 inch, as round as possible circle. The beauty of a galette is it doesn't have to be perfect. Move the dough onto your prepared baking tray. 

Take your filling and pour it gently into the center of your dough. You want to leave 2-3 inch space all around it for your edges. Spread it out as evenly as possible, keeping the edges. 

Begin by folding one side and continue around the filling, allowing the sides to overlap as they want. You want to create a nest for your filling to bake in. 

In the small bowl add the egg and splash of milk. Whisk well. Using your pastry brush, cover the dough with the egg wash, trying not to have too much excess. Then sprinkle egg wash with some sugar. Take your tiny pats of butter and place randomly over the top of the filling only. 

Place in the oven and bake 25 to 35 minutes or until your crust is a beautiful golden color and the filling is bubbly. Whip up some heavy cream and you've got yourself one super fancy but super easy dessert. It is perfection!! Xo

Watermelon Caprese Salad

Who doesn't love a caprese salad? It's got ripe tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Topped off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It's summer in a salad. I changed my usual caprese into watermelon caprese. I was having friends over for a BBQ and thought possibly the kids would be more into a watermelon salad than a tomato salad? And they loved it! Adults did as well. Watermelon is a great alternative to tomatoes- they are crisp and sweet and take salt well- just like tomatoes do. Plus it looks dang beautiful. You really can't go wrong here. Try this one at your next summer soirée! 

Watermelon Caprese Salad 

Fridge:

4 cups of watermelon or 10-12 1/2 inch slices. 

1 large ball of mozzarella (about 10 oz) sliced 1/2 inch thick 

3 cups or handfuls of arugula, cleaned

2 tbs basil, julienned 

1 tbs mint, julienned 

Counter:

1 corn on the cob, cooked and corn kernels removed (about 3/4 cup) 

Pantry:

3/4 tsp salt

Fresh pepper to taste 

Olive oil to drizzle

Balsamic glaze to drizzle 

Tools:

Cutting board

Chopping knife 

Measuring cups/spoons

Platter or serving bowl 

On your platter place your clean and dried arugula. Layer it evenly. Then place one watemelon slice and one mozzarella slice, alternating until the platter is filled. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Then add the corn cut off the cob, julienned mint and basil. You can refrigerate at this point until ready to serve. 

Once ready to serve, drizzle some good olive oil and balsamic glaze (or vinegar if you prefer) over the top. I'm a huge balsamic glaze fan (hello sweet tooth!) so I prefer to use that. Serve and enjoy! Xo