MARCH 2014 FAVORITES

The GORGEOUS work of LINE KLEIN.  I am seriously obsessed:

I love all the CANVAS HOME candles, but especially coveting the Fresh Cut Grass scent:

For the upcoming Summer season, THIERRY LASRY Sunglasses.

After the Winter we had, I hope I'm not the only one with 0% moisture in my skin.  This Coriander scent lotion is so luxurious and smells absolutely amazing.

It's not quite picnic season, but I'm already on the hunt for outdoor accessories (especially when they're this cute).

Newly discovered (by me): A new take on your TED TALK obsession, 99u has endless talks and articles for "empowering the creative mind."

MUSSELS WITH MEYER LEMON, FENNEL & TOMATO JAM BROTH

Mussels are my go-to & favorite meal for Spring & Summer.  Although brothy, it's definitely not a soup.  Those days are thankfully over.  This meal is effortlessly light, filled with flavor and best served with french fries and/or bread for dipping.  If you live in a place where you can eat it outside and enjoy a (gluten-free) beer with it, you're even luckier.  Mussels are a meal best shared, so make plenty and eat with good company.  Happy Spring!

MUSSELS WITH MEYER LEMON, MARJORAM, FENNEL & TOMATO JAM BROTH (Gluten-free)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter 

2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

3 small spring onions, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large leek, thinly sliced

2lbs. mussels

1 1/4 cup white wine

3-4 tablespoons tomato jam (I used BLUE CHAIR's jam...)

1 meyer lemon, juice & zest

3 tablespoons marjoram leaves, de-stemmed

1 tablespoon tarragon, roughly chopped

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

Rinse and clean mussels well -- Soak in a large mixing bowl of clean, cold water.  Drain in a colander and rinse well with cold water, using a brush to remove all sand.  Make sure to remove any beards from the shells, and discard any mussels that are not tightly closed or are open.  Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat your olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, fennel and leek -- sautee until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Pour in white wine carefully, then stir in tomato jam, lemon juice, zest and fresh herbs.  Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, then bring mixture to a boil.

Add mussels and cover for 6-8 minutes, or until all the mussels have opened.  Make sure to shake the pot well once or twice during cooking to make sure mussels are evenly dispersed. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and top with extra fresh herbs.  

Add mussels to shallow bowls making sure to include plenty of broth. Serve with crusty bread and/or french fries - enjoy!

These images and recipe are featured in EIDE Magazine's Spring 2014 issue  --- Check out the CURIOUS ISSUE here!  

PS* A BIG thank you to everyone who voted and supported SASSY KITCHEN in the Saveur Food Blog Awards!

FOR LUNCH: Roasted Baby Cauliflower, fried coriander chickpeas and Lemon Caper Dressing

We all know I'm a breakfast person.  Let's be real, it's THE BEST MEAL.  If you follow me on Instagram you're probably bored of my avocado toast variations, but fortunately for me, I am not.  As much as I love my beloved morning meals, I've been getting real into lunch lately.  I'm loving lazy afternoons spent leisurely cooking a fancy lunch.   Workweek lunches can be bland and hectic, so I save the good ones for the weekend.  

After playing around with *special* lunch recipes, this is my new favorite.  It's light, but definitely not on flavor.  Although I'm looking forward to not turning my oven on for the next few months (except for summer pies and tarts, of course), this meal is sure to hold you over till we get there.

ROASTED BABY PURPLE CAULIFLOWER, FRIED CORIANDER CHICKPEAS, CAPER DRESSING, CRUSHED PISTACHIO & GREEK YOGURT (Gluten-free, Vegetarian)

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1lb. purple baby cauliflower, de-stemmed
• 1 (14oz.) can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, juice + zest
• 1/4 cup crushed pistachios
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

CAPER Dressing: 

• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lemon, juice
• 3-4 fresh mint leaves
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a large baking sheet.  Add cauliflower to the pan, flipping to make sure they are coated on both sides.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the baby cauliflower.  Season with sea salt and roast for 30-35 minutes or until browned and tender.

In a small mason jar, muddle capers garlic and mint leaves together.  Squeeze in lemon juice and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.  Drizzle in a few tablespoons of olive oil until your desired consistency.  Screw on mason jar lid and shake until well combined.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together coriander with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Set aside

In a skillet, coat pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Over medium-high heat, drop in chickpeas in batches, frying until golden and charred.  While chickpeas are hot, sprinkle a generous amount of coriander seasoning.  Place chickpeas on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess oil.  Continuefrying in batches until all chickpeas are fried and seasoned. 

To plate, smear a few tablespoons of greek yogurt before topping with whole cauliflower and fried chickpeas.  Drizzle caper dressing generously over top.  Garnish with crushed pistachios, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and fresh mint leaves.