Cro-quinoa-ettes with corn relish, parsley pesto, and zucchini

A fabulous farmer's market meal! Bonnie and I adapted this recipe from the amazing http://herbivoracious.com. It is definitely a bit labor-intensive, but it's basically one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. The cro-quinoa-ettes (get it?) are crispy and savory, and they get topped with spicy-and-sweet corn relish, zucchini that's pan-fried so it's sweet and caramelized, a lemony tomato-and-cuke salad, and a tart parsley pesto sauce.

For the parsley pesto: 

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped

2 cups parsley leaves, lightly packed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processors and process until it forms a thin paste. Taste and add a little more olive oil and/or lemon juice if you need more liquid.

For the cucumber and tomato salad:
1 large cucumber, diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1-2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

For the corn relish:
2-3 earns of corn, shucked and kernels sliced off
4 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons red chili flakes (or less, if you don't like spicy foods)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
zest of 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.


Combine the scallions, chili flakes, corn, and salt in a bowl. Heat the canola oil in  a pan over medium high heat. Add the corn mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, until the corn is just cooked through. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and juice, and stir well to combine.

For the zucchini:
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slabs
2 tablespoons canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large frying pan over a high flame. Lay the zucchini in a single layer (this part is important!). Cook until the side touching the pan starts to form dark brown spots, then flip and do the same with the other. Remove and season with salt and pepper.

For the cro-quinoa-ettes:
4 cups cooked quinoa (start with 2 cups dried)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin power
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (Note: if you don't have this ingredient in your pantry, don't worry. There's so much flavor in all the other ingredients that it will be ok if you don't include it).
4 eggs
canola oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil. The mixture should feel almost like dough that you can form a wet ball with. (If it's dry, add another egg). Heat a large nonstick skillet, and add a few tablespoons of canola or other cooking oil. using about 1/4 cup of the quinoa mixture each time, form little balls and then smush them into thin patties with your hands. They should be about 1/4-inch thick. After you add them to the pan, smush them with a spatula to flatten them further. (The thinner they are, the crispier they'll be!). Cook on one side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip, then do the same on the other.

To serve:
Spoon some parsley pesto into each bowl. Top with two of the cro-quinoa-ettes, and little piles of the zucchini, corn relish, and salad.

Fattoush Salad

This Lebanese salad, with slightly sour dressing and crunchy pita chips tossed in, is SO GOOD (even with raw garlic, which I generally despise).

2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, diced small
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley, leaves only, no stems
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, no stems
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
2 pieces of pita bread
a few tablespoons olive oil
za'atar

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper

Brush pita with olive oil, sprinkle with za'atar, and toast 'till it's crispy. Break into pieces the size of a quarter.

In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well.

Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.

Cold Cucumber Soup w/Avocado Cream

10-minute recipe! Woohoo! Especially lovely on a really hot day :)

2 large English cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 8-oz container plain yogurt
1 cup ice cubes

Puree cukes with water, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons salt in blender till smooth.

Mash together avocado, lime juice, 1 tsp salt until smooth. Whisk in yogurt.

Just before serving, blend soup with ice until smooth. Serve topped with avocado cream.

"Tastes cucumber-ey." -my roomie

Chickpea and Brown Rice Burgers

Easy to make and totally delicious. I tried these first as burgers, and then a couple days later made them again but formed little 1 inch cubes instead (for a cube-themed meal!). I served the cubes with a yogurt-cucumber-lime sauce that was pretty awesome too if you're looking for a different option... Enjoy!

Burgers:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 C cooked brown rice
2 TBSP oats, chopped finely
1 medium carrot, grated
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
2 medium scallions, minced
2 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp lemon or lime zest
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg, beaten

Salad:
1/2 C cucumber, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 small red onion, slivered
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon or lime
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

In a medium bowl, mash chickpeas until a course texture is reached. Add brown rice and mash until well combined. Add oats, carrots, parsley, scallions, cilantro, garlic, lemon/lime zest, coriander, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add egg, mix until combined, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, add all salad ingredients and toss gently. Set aside.

Set oven to 400 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, form burger mixture into 5 patties and arrange on sheet. Lightly coat tops of burgers with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip burgers to second side, and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Serve burgers topped with salad. Yum!

Not-Your-Average Potato Salad

This has been the summer of the salad in my apartment, due as much to the obscene heat and humidity as to the abundance of fresh produce. I'll try and start posting some of my favorite veggie/bean/cheese/tofu salad combinations. Meanwhile enjoy this yummy potato salad recipe! I've made it a couple of times this summer and it's been a definite hit. All measurements are an approximation - feel free to edit as needed!!

3-5 pounds of potatoes, depending on the size of your group - the little red fingerlings are nice
2 ears corn, husked and snapped in half
1 small red onion, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
3/4 C capers
handful of fresh parsley, minced

Dressing:
1 C yogurt, mayonnaise, or a combination of the two (I prefer mostly yogurt with a few TBSP mayo)
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP spicy mustard
splash of juice from jar of capers
handful of fresh dill, minced
small amount of fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste

Clean potatoes thoroughly and chop into bite sized pieces. (I like to leave the skins on!) In a large pot, boil potatoes in enough water to cover until they are tender - don't boil too long or your skins will fall off. During the last few minutes, add your corn. Remove from heat and drain well. While potatoes cool, rinse corn in cold water until it can be handled comfortably. Use a sharp knife to cut corn off ear. In a large bowl, gently mix together potatoes, corn, cucumber, capers, and parsley. In a separate jar with a lid, add together all dressing ingredients, cap tightly and shake until completely mixed. Pour over potatoes and gently mix all together. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve it!

Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles

1 pound Chinese egg noodles (1/8,-inch-thick), frozen or (preferably) fresh, available in Asian markets
2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash
3½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili-garlic paste, or to taste
Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/8,-by- 1/8,-by-2-inch sticks
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until
barely tender, about 5 minutes; they should retain a hint of
chewiness. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a
splash of sesame oil.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame
oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar,
ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste.

3. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. Transfer to a serving
bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts. Serves 4. Adapted from
Martin Yan, Marian Burros, and memory.

Notes

1. The "Chinese sesame paste," above, is made of toasted sesame seeds;
it is not the same as tahini, the Middle Eastern paste made of plain,
untoasted sesame. But you could use tahini in a pinch. You need only
add a little toasted sesame oil to compensate for flavor, and perhaps
some peanut butter to keep the sauce emulsified.

2. On which subject, the whole point of cold sesame noodles is what's
called in the food trade its "mouth feel," the velvety smooth feeling
of perfectly combined ingredients. That's why you find so much peanut
butter in preparations of cold sesame noodles. Peanut butter
emulsifies better than sesame paste.

3. Hey, where are the Sichuan peppercorns? Sichuan food depends on
their tingly numbing power! Perhaps, but the little fruits were banned
from the United States from 1968 until 2005 by the Food and Drug
Administration because they were feared to carry citrus canker, a
bacterial disease. And while you could always find them in Chinatowns
somewhere (sitting, dry and baleful, in a pile), there are few in the
true cult of sesame noodles who use them in their recipes. By all
means, add some if you like: toast a tablespoon's worth in a dry pan,
crush lightly and whisk the resulting mess into your sauce.