radish*rose

spinach, quinoa, and feta salad with dried cranberries

radish*rose 2 Comments

Quinoa is fun to say (KEEN-wah… I like to sing it) and it’s definitely having a moment, due to being delicious *and* high in amino acids and protein. I make this salad at least once a week for a quick and scrumptious dinner for two.  If you make the quinoa and vinaigrette ahead (or buy pre-made), you can throw this together in a few minutes – no big deal.  It’s still pretty fast even if you make everything from scratch (quinoa takes about 20 minutes).  If your quinoa is still warm, you can still put it right into the salad and you’ll have a nice wilted spinach effect, if you like that sort of thing (if you don’t, just wait for it to cool). Continue reading

radish*rose’s balsamic mustard vinaigrette

radish*rose 3 Comments

Make a lot, use a little!  I make a batch and keep it in a squirt bottle devoted to this purpose, which I drew lines on for the correct proportions every time.  This stays good for several weeks in the fridge… I’m not exactly sure how long, because I have never ever had a batch go bad… it gets used up!  This recipe lasts 2-3 salads in our household, and it’s useful for sandwiches, wraps, or to drizzle over a rice, bean & veg bowl, as well.

If you have leftovers, you will want to remove it from the fridge 15-20 minutes before you want to use it, to allow it to come up to room temperature (olive oil solidifies when chilled).  You can also run the bottle under some warm tap water, if you forgot to take it out.  Shake well and use!

The basic proportion for most salad dressings is two parts oil to one part vinegar.  The mustard serves as an emulsifier to keep the oil & vinegar bound together.  You can use other thick things as an emulsifier, like mayo.  And now that you know this,  you need never ever buy salad dressing again, nor must you fret over strange and unpronounceable ingredients therein.  You’re welcome. Continue reading

fiddlehead ferns with spring garlic and lemon

radish*rose 0 comment

Aren’t these fun looking? If Tim Burton designed a spring vegetable, it would be the fiddlehead fern.  I love the way they look!  But how do they taste, you ask?  If you like artichokes and asparagus, you will like the taste of fiddlehead ferns.  They are only available in the spring because they are literally baby ferns.  If left on their own they would grow into a big fern.  Crazy, eh?  So what do you do once you have brought this strange yet lovable vegetable home?  Read on!

If you don’t have spring garlic for this recipe (it is usually available around the same time of year), no big deal.  Just use scallions or green onions instead. Continue reading

spanish tortilla (potato and egg pie) :: by radish*rose

spanish tortilla (potato and egg pie)

radish*rose 2 Comments

Have you ever been to a tapas bar where they serve little plates of delicious small dishes to accompany your drinks (very good idea from Spain)?  There is almost always a version of Spanish tortilla on the menu – you get a big wedge of translucent potato slices with just enough egg to hold them together, often drizzled with garlic aioli (fancy mayo).  (This is not a tortilla like the ones you use to wrap a burrito.)

Turns out the reason for the beautiful translucent potatoes is OLIVE OIL.  A lot of it!!  Traditional recipes I looked at call for up to  1-1/4 cups.  YIKES.  Luckily, the venerable Cooks Illustrated has a version that “only” uses 1/2 cup.  Before you freak out, remember this is for a whole pie that you cannot possibly eat by yourself or all in one sitting. We ate one large slice each for dinner which was quite filling and probably contained 2 T. of olive oil. We accompanied it with mushrooms in Spanish sherry and our favorite kale salad.  Leftovers are absolutely delicious for breakfast the next day. Continue reading