Fava Bean & Couscous Salad with Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Fava Bean & Couscous Salad with Tahini-Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 cups fava beans, fresh, dried or canned (for how to cook, see this NYT article)
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 1 small tomato, cored, seeded and diced (I used a yellow tomato)
• 1/2 cup couscous (any type), cooked according to package directions
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 T. red wine vinegar
• 1 T. tahini
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced into a paste
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large bowl, gently combine fava beans, olives, tomato and couscous.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, cumin and garlic. Whisk in tahini and olive oil in a stream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add dressing to fava/couscous mixture and toss to coat (be sure not to overdress). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

What I Love Now: The Best of Summer

Summer is all about great combinations. Think: freshly painted toes & sandals, lazy afternoons & hammocks, tanned skin & bikinis. The best of this season’s food also comes in pairs – the simplest way to showcase the best time of year for eating!

A few favorites…

-Prosciutto & Cantaloupe

-Tomatoes & Mozzarella

-Zucchini & Basil

-Peaches & Raspberries

-Watermelon & Mint

-Seafood & Lemon

-Strawberries & Whipped Cream

-Marshmallows & Campfires

What are your favorite summer combos?

Can You Take the Heat?

Spice it up! Check out my review of The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens for Inside F&B here!

Tin Can Table Top

 

I am partial to repurposed table decor (see exhibit A) so I was happy to see this unique table topper at Fiore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. White-washed tin can + huge sprigs of rosemary + sunny yellow flowers = my new wedding centerpiece (I’m a 24-year old female…sometimes we think about these things!)

Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits with Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon

Ring the dinner bell – shrimp n’ grits are served! I’m a fairly new convert to grits (or polenta en Italiano). Thick, creamy and cheese, they play an outstanding supporting role to, well, just about anything you put on top. Shrimp and grits are a Southern staple and here I amped the party up with smoky bacon and a little heat courtesy of red chili flakes. As a bonus, this dish is ready in Yankee time – about 25 minutes start to finish.

Shrimp and Grits with Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon

Serves 2-3

 Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock OR water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup stone-ground cornmeal
• 1/3 cup grated sharp cheese, such as Parmesan or Cheddar
• 1/2 lb. medium to large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 slice applewood smoked bacon, chopped
• Red chili pepper flakes, to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes collapse, about 10 to 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Bring stock (or water) and milk to a boil. Add grits in a stream and whisk. Bring back to a  gentle boil and cook, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Cover the grits to keep warm.
4. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Render the bacon in a large skillet over medium-to-low heat until crispy (this may take a while, do not turn the heat up). Remove bacon and drain on paper towel, leaving drippings in pan. In the same pan, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add garlic and saute a few minutes. Add bacon and tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper and red chili to taste.
5. To serve, spoon grits into a serving bowl and top with tomato and shrimp mixture.

How to Eat Lunch Without Really Trying

One of the most common questions I’m asked (culinary-speaking) is how to shake the weekday food rut. A lot of what I hear is that worker bees are sick and tired of their Monday-Friday routine. Everyone knows bringing your lunch to work (aka brown bagging), is a fantastic way to save a few bucks. PBJ is surely less expensive than a Hale & Hearty soup-and-salad combo, but let’s be honest, it can get awfully boring!

Back in college, I used to hit up my favorite local market, Adams Fairacre Farms, for Hudson Valley-fresh produce. I would roast enough eggplant, zucchini, onions, peppers, mushrooms – you name it – to last me the week. Come lunchtime, I’d use my stash of veggies for salads, panini, wraps and pasta dishes, throwing in a little chicken or some chickpeas for good measure. No ramen for me!

While my college days are long behind me, I still turn to this “cook once, eat twice” method, especially during busy weeks. Pick a few veggies, a protein or two and a couple ‘extras’ and you’ve got lunch. Here’s my go-to list:

Veggies

• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Bell peppers
• Onion
• Fennel
• Portobello Mushrooms
• Asparagus

How to: Brush veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until fork tender or roast in a 400 degree oven until tender (about 30 minutes).

Protein

Save time by prepping protein beforehand. Drain and rinse beans, slice tofu, grill and slice meats.

• Low-sodium canned beans
• Tofu/tempeh/seitan
• Chicken breast
• Lean steak
• Shrimp
• Veggie burgers

Extras

Keep a steady stash of these on hand and you’ve got a meal in minutes.

• Cheese – Parmesan, feta, blue, goat
• Whole wheat wraps/tortillas
• Whole wheat bread
• Salad greens
• Whole grain pasta
• Quinoa, couscous, barley, wheat berries, bulgur, brown rice

Now for the fun part! Muster up your inner chef and get creative. The combinations are endless and uniquely your own. A few of my favorites…

• Bell Pepper + Onion + Zucchini + Cherry Tomatoes + Salad Greens + Feta + Balsamic Vinaigrette = Mediterranean Cobb Salad
• Zucchini + Mushrooms + Tomatoes + Whole Wheat Tortilla + Veggie Burger = Garden Wrap
• Asparagus + Fennel + Chickpeas + Couscous = Springtime Salad

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro and Lime

The salads continue! New York has been blistering hot this week. A pressure cooker, you could say. Cold salads are the only thing palatable in this weather (with no A/C nonetheless!) I grew up eating this corn and black bean salad – it’s a mainstay on my Mom’s summer menu. I remember as a kid we would take day trips to Southwick Beach on Lake Ontario, about 45 minutes from where I grew up near Syracuse, New York. On the way home, we would always stop for fresh corn from roadside stands – the best! The corn was so delicious, you would barely need butter or salt (my Grandpa always ate it like that). While it’s still a bit early in the season for local corn, I couldn’t resist snagging a few ears for this salad.

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro and Lime

Yield: Approx. 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2 ears corn, shucked
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice
• 1 small red or yellow tomato, cored and seeded, small dice
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned and finely chopped
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2-3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1.  Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Add corn and cover, simmering until fork tender. Remove and cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine red bell pepper, tomato, red onion, cilantro and black beans. Add lime juice and drizzle with olive oil, adding more to taste. Add cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly.
3. When corn is cool, remove from cobs and toss with black bean mixture, adding more lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Late Spring Pea & Radish Salad

This is the perfect example of using what you’ve got on hand. This dish came together in a snap thanks to frozen peas leftover from making pea soup, a handful of radishes from this salad and a random assortment of herbs. Warm-weather cooking is all about improvisation – no need to turn on the oven!

Easy pea-sy!

Late Spring Pea & Radish Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen (defrosted)
• 4 medium red radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup assorted herbs, chopped – I used a combination of dill and parsley
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2-3 scant tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine peas, herbs, radish and feta. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Chill before serving.