stuffed peppers with parmesan and olives

September 1, 2014 radish*rose 4 Comments

Crispy topping and savory filling surrounded by sweet roasted peppers. When you’ve just received a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box containing giant beautiful peppers, what better use for them? I had never stuffed a pepper before, but if I can, you can too! These are so pretty, they would be great for company.

I’m becoming a huge fan of Rose Elliot, who is very well known in Britain for vegetarian cooking. Her recipes are simple yet inventive. As you may know, European recipes often put things in terms of weight, so it’s handy to have a food scale. Mine is tiny and cost $15; it is well worth the added confidence it gives. Continue reading

ginger soy butter mussels

August 10, 2014 radish*rose 2 Comments

Ginger, soy sauce, and a touch of butter make an irresistible Japanese-influenced East-West broth for these mussels. The original recipe was for clams, but I haven’t quite gotten the hang of cleaning those yet, so I substituted mussels since I know what to do with those (and so will you, read on!). Also, did I mention that mussels are one of the most sustainable types of seafood? Yay for mussels! Continue reading

fresh tomato and red onion salad

August 2, 2014 radish*rose 0 comment

Got tomatoes? Me too! Nothing tastes so much like summer as a beautiful, ripe tomato. Now, I do love a caprese salad (tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella) as much as the next person, but you might not want all that cheese at times. (I know, I can’t believe I said that. OK, maybe you just don’t have fresh mozzarella on hand right now. I bet you have an onion, though.) Anyway, regardless of the reason, here’s a flavorful, healthy dairy-free option that will delight your tastebuds! Continue reading

lemony zucchini zoodle salad with parmesan

July 27, 2014 radish*rose 1 Comment

Here’s a snappy, crisp, and refreshing summer salad which can become a main course with the optional addition of some protein (I used sliced hard-cooked eggs, but you could use whatever you like, such as sliced grilled chicken or shrimp, or even marinated, grilled tofu).

I used a spiralizer to make the “zoodles” (zucchini noodles), but you can also use a vegetable peeler to make long, fettucine-like ribbons of zucchini. Once you get started with zoodles, it’s kind of hard to stop. You’ll think of all kinds of dressings and toppings and sauces to put on them. This is the time of year when zucchini is abundant, so knock yourself out!

Confession: I wasn’t even sure if I liked zucchini due to a watery experience with cooked zucchini in my childhood, but prepared raw this way, it’s crisp and fresh-tasting. Continue reading

refreshing shrimp and ginger glass-wrapper spring rolls

July 21, 2014 radish*rose 2 Comments

Crisp, cool, gingery and refreshing. Plus a mystery solved! How do restaurants make those beautiful glass-wrapper rolls? IT’S SO EASY. If you can roll a burrito, you can do this. Promise! We have even made this on a work-busted Monday night (we did make the Asian slaw on Sunday, a good make-ahead trick because that stuff gets better when it sits). This post is a little photo-heavy because I wanted to show you how to do it. Please comment to let me know what you think about having more process photos! Continue reading

east-west caviar bites

July 13, 2014 radish*rose 0 comment

Those little orange bubbles are salmon roe caviar, which you may have had before on top of sushi rolls. Each bubble is a burst of salty, fishy goodness! A small container is not very expensive at the Japanese or Asian market (I paid $4.50 for enough to make 20 crackers). The trick is to rush it home, well-chilled if possible (my shop provides free ice, but you could also bring your own cooler, or buy some frozen items and make sure they’re in the same bag). When you get home, put it directly in the fridge, then eat it the same day. I’ve borrowed from the Russians to create this fun East-West fusion appetizer. And IT’S SO EASY. Impress your guests, or just yourself!

Let me explain what I mean by borrowing from the Russians: A Russian way to eat caviar is on blini (buckwheat crepes) with sour cream, red onion, and diced hard cooked egg. We had this in a restaurant and loved it. Inspired, but knowing making blini is an involved process, I came up with sesame rice crackers, sour cream, and chopped green onion. If you feel like sprinkling on some finely-diced hard-cooked egg too, by all means. It’s swell! Continue reading

radish*rose

fun fresh food.

radish rose