SPRING FAVA SALAD WITH TOASTED WALNUTS & PARSLEY SAUCE VERTE

This season has been so strange.  The weather is erratic as ever which is making it feel neither like Spring nor Summer. Despite the consistent gloom, the Spring produce is finally rampant and my fridge is filled with green.  I'm loving lighter salads with fresh green vegetables and tons of herbs & flavorful greens.  This sauce, from Taste & Technique, is something I've been riffing on for months now, and putting on pretty much everything.  It tastes like Spring to me (tarragon!) and I throw some radishes in, just for fun, since I always seem to have them in excess.  Dreaming of more sunshine and temperate weather before the Summer heat hits..

Spring Green Salad with Favas, Toasted Walnuts & Parsley Sauce Verte (Serves 2-4) Gluten-free

*If you've never shelled fava beans, don't be scared.  They actually aren't as exhausting as they look, and I find the process super meditative.  Much like chopping vegetables or herbs (like this parsley sauce verte), I find those manual exercises super calming.  You'll probably have leftover dressing, so I suggest you put it on everything - I love it on avocado toast, soft boiled eggs, salads, roasted vegetables, etc.  The options are endless and it will keep in the fridge, flavors melding over time, for about 5ish days. 

• 1lb. fava beans, shelled
• 4 large handfuls of greens (I used a mix of baby kale, wild baby arugula and micro herbs)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
• 4 oz. tangy feta, crumbled

Parsley Sauce Verte (adapted from Taste & Technique)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 2 teaspoon minced tarragon
• 2 radishes, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1-2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt to taste (about a scant teaspoon)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large (salted) pot of water to a boil.  Prep a mixing bowl with ice water & set aside.  Once water has come to a boil, blanch fava beans for exactly 1 minute, strain & add to ice bath and set aside.  Once both have cooled to the touch, strain and set aside.

Peel fava beans: Use your nail to puncture the pod, then remove the opaque outer skin to reveal bright green fava bean.  Continue until all fava beans are shelled.

For parsley sauce verte: make sure to chop all herbs/ingredients by hand (not a food processor!) - it makes a huge difference in the freshness & overall flavor of this sauce.  Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until well-combined.  Season to taste and set aside.

Add greens to a large bowl, assemble with fava beans, walnuts, and feta cheese.  Add a few spoonfuls of parsley sauce then toss well with your hands, to make sure every leaf is coated. Salt to taste & season with freshly ground pepper.  Serve immediately.

Beautiful blue plates are courtesy of GET PROPPED. Check out their gorgeous site!

ROASTED KABOCHA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS, QUINOA & LEMON THYME

It has been quite a heavy month and I’m still (still...) reeling from it all.  I’m not ready to talk about it all yet (or here), but I’m looking forward to having a reason to make lots of pies this week.  I took a nod from Ashlae of OhLadycakes and have listed some lovely places who need your help, donations or volunteering in the sidebar.  (Also there's another great list here)

For now though, I leave you with a comfort food recipe perfect for Thanksgiving and beyond.  Hope it brings you some warmth & pleasure this Thanksgiving.

ROASTED KABOCHA WITH WILD MUSHROOMS, QUINOA & LEMON THYME (Serves 2-4) Gluten-free, Vegan

• 4 cups cubed kabocha squash
• 5 sprigs lemon thyme, divided
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 shallots, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups mushrooms, mixed & roughly chopped (I used maitake, chanterelle & cremini)
• 4 sprigs marjoram, de-stemmed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• Micro tatsoi, to top
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a foil-lined baking sheet, add cubed kabocha, 2-3 sprigs lemon thyme and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season with sea salt and pepper, then bake for 30-35 minutes of until browned and tender.

While kabocha bakes, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet.  Add shallots and garlic, stirring often for 5-7 minutes until they begin to break down.  Then, add mushrooms (depending on the size of your pan, you might need to do it in two batches) in an even layer making sure they make contact with the pan.  Cook until they begin to brown then flip mushrooms to evenly cook.  Continue until all mushrooms are cooked.  

Then, bring all mushrooms back to the pan over medium high heat, add juice of half the lemon, remaining lemon thyme leaves, marjoram and cooked quinoa.  Stir to coat mixture evenly. Cook until herbs begin to wilt and become fragrant.  Salt to taste, then remove from heat.

In a serving bowl or platter, layer kabocha and mushrooms/quinoa mixture, then top with the juice of the last lemon half.  Top with micro tatsoi then season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serve warm or room temperature.

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: MORE THANKSGIVING IDEAS IN A PINCH:

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RED CABBAGE & FENNEL SLAW WITH TOASTED PISTACHIOS & TANGY MUSTARD DRESSING

For a long time I didn’t know how to explain my sensibility with food.  I always loved to cook, but I never considered myself a “food person” until my health issues began.  From then on, I was on a rather dismal quest to find things that didn’t make me ill.  I tried a million diets which kept me constantly trying new vegetables, weird ingredients - looking for the few things in the market that were “free” of all the things I needed.  My love for food didn’t start from a rich family or cultural history, but as a result of chronic pain.  Limitation has always been my menu.

Although I’ve had periods of “indulgence” - wanting to cook / eat / bake everything I never had (or could eat) - I always come back to a sensibility that can only be described as Californian (where I’m from).  I relate to avocado, to any kind of sprout, and basically anything that can be described as “1970’s Topanga Canyon vegetarian”.  I would self describe it as hippie food with a bit of culinary curiosity.  

And it’s what I always come back to that helped me understand who I was.  I’ve been having some stomach issues lately that have left me craving comfort.  What I seem to grab in these occasions, when I’m looking for something healing rather than “good”, is always something simple in a bowl. It could be some vegetables, a grain, maybe some avocado.  Usually arugula (my favorite green, especially when my digestion is off).  It’s my own version of comfort food; simple meals that feel like “home”.

California Red Cabbage & Fennel Slaw (gluten-free, vegan) serves 4

• 4 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup sliced fennel, thin on mandolin
• 3-4 radishes, sliced thin on mandolin
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup sliced chives
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/3 cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
• Fennel fronds, to serve

dressing:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juice
• About 1/4 cup olive oil
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, mix together cabbage, fennel, radishes and all herbs.  Squeeze over the juice of one lemon and toss to combine.  Set aside.    

To toast pistachios, add to a skillet and toast over medium heat until browned or add to a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees until browned and smelling nutty (about 10-12 minutes).

To make the dressing, whisk together all ingredients until emulsified (until it’s a thick, cohesive dressing).  

Add the dressing to the bowl of "slaw" and toss together until well combined.  Season with flaky sea salt, freshly ground pepper and top with pistachios and fennel fronds  Optional toppings: baked tofu, avocado or sprouts ;)

*For simple baked tofu, I add 1 inch slabs to a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and tamari. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, flip and bake another 15-20 or until browned and tender.  Season with sea salt  & freshly cracked pepper.