Shishito and Avocado Breakfast Toast

I have felt compelled to put fried green peppers on just about everything since a dinner earlier this summer at my food blogger friend's house. Linda (of Wild Greens and Sardines) and her husband invited my husband an I over for some delicious pasta, and while we sipped wine and waited for the water to boil, they fried up pan after pan of padrón peppers. Padrón peppers are a staple in Spain, a most-welcome nibble in the late afternoon when you know dinner is still hours away. Sprinkled with crunchy grains of salt, they are mostly mild, but occasionally you get a real hot sucker that makes you reaching for bread, cheese, anything to make the heat go away, even another pepper-just hope that it's a mild one. If you're like me, you somehow manage to grab only the hot ones.

I'll take a minute here and clue you in to a little thing about going to a food blogger's house for dinner. When a bloggers says she's just going to make pasta for dinner, don't believe that she's just going to toss some dried noodles in some water and call it a day. Nope. Linda made the most beautiful homemade pasta in these circular stamp shapes and tossed them with a nutty and herbaceous pesto. Pan fried padrón peppers started off the meal, but roasted maitakes, Green Zebras doused in extra-virgin olive oil and sumac, and specialty chocolate rounded it out. And what in the world did I bring to this feast? I came with a dinky grilled zucchini salad that I swear shrunk even more by the time we got to Linda's. My cup of zucchini and me pretty much wanted to disappear when I saw the spread she had prepared. Yeah, we very much owe she and her husband a dinner. Or wait, a feast.

Back to the peppers. Padrón peppers are deliciously tender and a far cry from rigid (and always hot!) jalapenos and very pungent and vegetal green peppers. Heat makes their thin skin melt, their few sugars just beginning to caramelize. The problem is that they can be a little hard to find. Shishitos, on the other hand, seemed to be everywhere at our farmers' market. While I would be hard-pressed to tell you the exact difference in taste, padrón peppers are a little more petite. I pretty much treat both them the same way. Fry them in a little oil until nice and blistered, sprinkle with some sea salt, and eat, seeds (not stems) included. As much as I love them plain, I thought they could add a little texture and subtle earthy heat to a breakfast favorite of mine, the egg and avocado sandwich.

I feel like I'm cheating calling this a recipe, but I thought the combo was worthy of a share. I tossed on a little fresh basil for a hint of summer freshness. Tomato would be a welcome addition, but as it's breakfast, I didn't want to get too complicated.

Shishito Avocado Breakfast Toast

1 whole wheat English muffin or 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Handful of shishito peppers (or Padrón peppers, if you can find them)
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 eggs
1/2 large avocado
A few basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Sea salt and pepper, for sprinkling (or a little Parmigiano reggiano is delicious!)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add peppers, and cook for 7-10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Peppers should be blistered and starting to wilt. Remove from heat, remove stems from peppers, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Crack two eggs into pan, and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until desired doneness. You can flip the egg for over easy or I sometimes place a lid over the pan to allow the white to cook and just allow the yolk to set.

Mash 1/4 of avocado on each slice of bread. Top with basil, shishitos, and fried eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and a little Parmigiano reggiano), if desired. Serves 1.

Zucchini and Basil Soup

The heat of the summer has been wearing me down. My skin is sticky, lips are parched. I find myself feeling dehydrated, no matter how much water I drink. You may be wondering why then, I have decided to make soup. When we think of soup, we think of warm, comforting goodness. A bowl that heats us from the inside out while nourishing us from within. Lucky for us, there is a whole other world of soup possibilities out there, especially in these dog days of summer.

Cold soups are a godsend when you can’t eat another salad- even for veggie-loving me, that can happen, but you need something hydrating, something that does just the opposite of those rich winter stews- that cools you from the inside out. This cool soup was loosely inspired by cucumber dill soups I had eaten a few times growing up in sweltering North Carolina. We’re in zucchini season, so my fridge is loaded with them. Basil is my essential summer herb; I always need to have a little bit on hand, just in case I stumble upon a perfect tomato or need a little something to make a summer dish really sing. And sing this soup does.

Many cold soups begin with raw ingredients and end with raw ingredients, only getting a quick puress in a blender- tomato gazapcho, for instance- but I found that a quick cook of the vegetables makes for a softer flavor that allows the lemony basil and earthy avocado to standout rather than play second fiddle to pungent onion, sharp garlic, and grassy zucchini. This makes one serving, two if you're serving it as a starter, made more filing by avocado and edamame. It's perfect for when you come home, hot, ravenous, with no one to feed but yourself. It can be eaten warm, cool, or cold, but I find the flavors are most robust when just cool. It is easily doubled or tripled, so it’s the perfect way to make use of that zucchini surplus.

Zucchini and Basil Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup frozen edamame or canned chickpeas
1 pound zucchini, chopped
¼ cup water
1 lemon, juiced and ½ zested
generous handful fresh basil leaves
½ avocado, divided
1 tablespoon chopped toasted walnuts, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add onion, and saute 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, edamame (or chickpeas), zucchini, ¼ cup water, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 7 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to blender and add lemon zest and juice, basil, ¼ avocado, and remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Blend until smooth, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. If mixture is to thick to your liking, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If you would like to cool the mixture down and reduce thickness, add 1-3 ice cubes and blend. Cool in refrigerator prior to enjoying or eat warm. Garnish with remaining ¼ avocado, chopped, walnuts, and basil chiffonade. Enjoy! Serves 1 for main course, 2 for starter.

Spring Goddess Bowl

Someone stole spring, and I want it back. I have been awaiting that glorious moment when I can unburden my coat rack of winter coats and scarves and tuck away my gloves and boots. Just when I thought we were almost there, the mercury falls and the wind gives a raucous helloooooo. Sigh. I wish I had a spring dance of sorts, you know, to call upon those warmer temperatures and get them to linger for just a little longer, but I think any type of dancing of mine just may scare spring away. Again.

Despite these cooler temperatures, I am loving what I am finding at the farmers' markets right now -zippy radishes, tender, earthy greens, eggs from happy spring chickens, and tangy cheeses and yogurt from sprightly goats. When the ingredients, especially vegetables, are at their peak, so fresh and bright, I like celebrating them in simple preparations, and sometimes a few different ways in the same dish- cooked and raw, pickled and sauteed, roasted and blanched, pureed and left whole. In this recipe, sauteed red radishes are topped with raw, julienned watermelon radishes. You may have never sauteed a radish before, but I promise you, you'll never see a radish the same way once you do. Heated with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, the harsh radish mellows with just a teensy sweetness while still staying crisp and light.

This spring bowl came together one evening when a foodie friend of mine and I decided to meld minds...and pantries and fridges. (Side note: This foodie friend is also an amazing photographer...who just so happens to be shooting our wedding in just over two weeks and who shot our engagement photos!!!). We had both been in a bit of a recipe funk, so we decided to make it interesting by each contributing two different ingredients to the mix and then coming up with a dish. I chose radishes and beluga lentils, and she chose avocado and black rice (side note: I used a short-grain brown rice when I re-made the recipe, but black rice is both beautiful and delicious if you have never had it). We made things up as we went, tasting here and there for any additions to make it all really sing. I had some spring chickweed, a dainty and slightly bitter green, and fresh mint in my fridge, and we assembled a bright lemon and olive oil dressing to drizzle over top of everything. It really does taste as good as it looks. It was so good, in fact, I made it again after restocking my radish supply.

Like most bowl recipes, this is a template. The amounts of each component will vary depending on your preferences, but the ingredient combo here is spot-on. If you are craving a little more crunch, go ahead and toss in some toasted nuts or seeds. Feta or a tangy goat cheese will be beautiful on here as will a hard-boiled egg if you want to make it even more robust. Either way, this bowl is fit for a spring goddess- or god!

Spring Goddess Bowl

1 cup short-grain brown rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup beluga lentils
1 small bunch of radishes (about 6-7 radishes), greens removed (or a mix of red and watermelon radishes)
1 avocado, sliced
2 handfuls of greens (examples are chickweed, arugula, mache, or even sprouts!)
a few mint leaves, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sauteeing radishes
fancy salt, to taste...also known as Himalayan salt or flaky sea salt;)

Cook rice. Bring water to a boil. Add rice, return to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and cook 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of cooked rice for the bowl, and save the rest for another meal.

Cook lentils. Add lentils to pot and cover with water by 1-2 inches. Heat water to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until tender. Test often to check doneness- you want a slight bite, but no mushiness. Drain and set aside.

Prepare radishes. Reserve one radish for raw garnish. Cut the remaining radishes into small wedges for sauteing. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add radishes, sprinkle generously with salt, and saute about 5-8 minutes, stirring often. Remove radishes when just golden brown on both sides and tender.

Thinly slice reserved radish (or use watermelon radish here) and then julienne slices for the raw radish garnish.

Make dressing. In small bowl, whisk together minced garlic, zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and salt to taste.

Assemble bowls. Divide rice, lentils, sauteed radishes, and greens among two bowls. Top each with 1/2 of avocado, garnish with raw radish and mint, and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette. I like to finish mine with a sprinkling of fancy salt or whatever salt I have on hand. Enjoy! Makes 2 servings.   

Spring Tea Party Bites + My Bridal Shower

My whole heart is so full, it is just about to burst. I am getting married in almost a month, and some of my favorite people got together this weekend to help me celebrate with my bridal shower. We had the BEST time. I will preface this by saying one of my favorite things to do is going to high tea. Hoity-toity it may be, but I relish in the excuse to get all dolled up, sip tea with our pinkies (awkwardly) raised, and nibble on dainty sweet and savory bites with people who just make me smile. I am not one of those people who had ever imagined what my wedding dress would look like or the type of wedding cake I would have, but I knew that I wanted a tea party to make an appearance somewhere in the wedding planning process. 

I was all set to gather around with my close friends and family for tea and bridal shower games, until I stumbled upon Maddie from Madalynne Studios on Instagram. Maddie, a seamstress extraordinaire (among many other awesome things), makes beautiful sporty, modern lingerie and hosts day-long sewing and bra-making workshops which attract people from all over the country. I reached out, asking her about hosting a little sewing workshop in her beautiful studio space for my bridal shower. I was thrilled when she said yes. The plan was that we would all bring homemade tea-party bites, sip tea, and learn to sew something. She had the idea of doing a little "Panty Party" in which we would all sew cute panties while we mingled around. 

The most fantastic thing was that none of us had any real sewing machine experience, and ALL of us made a pair of fancy underpants by the end of the shower. They were bright red, high-waisted in the best possible way, and incredibly comfortable. Maddie warned us that we would all be wearing them by the end of the event, and right she was! Maddie was the perfect hostess and instructor. She was patient with the more perfectionist types and easy-going with those who got a little distracted with the delicious treats we all made. She also was a master troubleshooter when I got myself into a sewing hole...which happened quite a few times. As an added DIY, I brought materials for simple hand-sewn heart-shaped tea bags that looked beautiful floating in their tea cups. 

I must give a huge shout-out to all of my friends and family who brought the most beautiful and delicious tea party treats. We hardly had enough table space for all of the goodies! My Mom and little sister made super-cute avocado and egg sandwiches on pumpernickel, miso-yogurt and radish toasts, and cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. My bridesmaids and friends made savory frittatas, brie-stuffed puff pasty nibbles, chocolate and red wine strawberry cakes, mini lemon cupcakes, and cookies galore. My future sister-in-law brought the juiciest strawberries from Carlos Bakery, and my future mother-in-law brought tasty Filipino empanadas fresh from the bakery. The photos below do these treats more justice than any words, so take a look for yourself. Maddie snapped the gorgeous event photos in between wearing her sewing teacher hat.

Food and tea aside, It was so special for me to have many of the important, supportive, and loving women in my life all together for the afternoon. Many of them come from different periods in my life, so to have that shared sewing experience was just the cherry on top. I cannot wait to have them all together again in just 32 days when I walk down the aisle (!).

As many times as I was told I should not have to do anything for my shower, I could not resist. I love making things look beautiful, and that most certainly means I wanted to make some beautiful food. Nothing fancy, but something certainly bright, fresh, and oh-so-spring. I made four types of tea nibbles leading up to the event as practice and loved them all!

• Egg and Avocado Salad with Radish on Whole Grain
• Roasted Beet and Tahini with Lemon and Dill on Pumpkernickel
• Cucumber with Edamame Goat Cheese on Whole Wheat
• Curried Chickpea Radicchio Cups

I could not even name a favorite for you- they work so well together. I ultimately decided to take just two of them to the shower given the amount of food others were bringing, and I am glad I did because there was not a smidgen of space left on the tables... or in anyone's bellies!

Without further ado, here they are!

Egg and Avocado Salad with Radish on Whole Grain

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and finely diced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and finely diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 radishes, very finely julienned
8 slices whole grain bread, preferably sandwich bread

Mash 1 avocado with lemon juice and generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Stir in chopped eggs. Add remaining diced avocado and mix gently so as to not break up the diced avocado too much. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread on 4 slices of bread. Sprinkle with julienned radishes. Slice pieces into squares or into slender thirds. Enjoy!

Beet and Tahini with Lemon and Dill on Pumpernickel

3 medium to large beets, greens removed and roots scrubbed clean (no need to peel yet)
1/2-3/4 cup tahini
1 lemon, zested
1 handful dill, finely chopped (or another microgreen of choice, for garnish)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
sea salt and pepper, for sprinkling
7 thin slices German Pumpernickel bread, toasted or other thin, sturdy bread

Prepare beets. Place clean beets in a steamer basket in a pot with water just to bottom of basket. Steam beets for 40-50 minutes, or until butter knife inserted to beet slips through easily. Be sure to add more water about half way through to prevent pot from scorching. Alternatively, beets can be wrapped in foil and roasted in oven at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Remove beets from heat and allow to cool before slipping skins from beet. Using a mandoline or very carefully with a knife, thinly slice beets into paper-thin sheets. Set sheets aside.

Spread about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini on one side of each of toasted bread slices. Be careful not to go over the edge or the become a little messy. Layer beet slices in thin layer atop tahini. Sprinkle with lemon zest, chopped dill (or microgreen), toasted sunflower seeds, and sea salt and pepper. Slice bread into thirds and then leave in rectangles or slice into squares. Makes 21 rectangular slices or 42 squares.

Cucumber with Edamame Goat Cheese on Whole Wheat

1 large English (seedless) cucumber
1 recipe Edamame Goat Cheese Spread
1/2 loaf of soft whole wheat bread
handful of chives, finely chopped
sea salt, to taste

Slice cucumber width-wise into thirds. Thinly slice cucumbers thirds lengthwise into paper-tin strips. Divide edamame spread amongst bread slices. Layer cucumber slices diagonally atop spread. Some cucumber will hang over the edges. This website has a great visual tutorial. Carefully cut crusts from bread, and then cut slices into 4 small squares. Sprinkle with chives and a sprinkling of sea salt. Enjoy!

Curried Chickpea Radicchio Cups

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained (or 3 cups cooked chickpeas)
2 green onions, white and light green parts, minced
1/3 cup of dried apricots, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 2% recommended
1/3 cup chopped almonds, toasted
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 small head radicchio, leaves removed carefully and torn in half (alternatively, use lettuce leaves or endive)

Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add chickpeas to skillet and toss to coat. Remove chickpeas and residual oil to bowl. Add green onions, apricots, celery, and lemon zest and juice. Stir to combine. When mixture has cooled slightly, add yogurt, almonds, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. mix thoroughly. Divide mixture amongst radicchio cups, placing a few tablespoons in each cup, sprinkle with any extra cilantro and almonds, and serve. Makes about 12-16 radicchio cups, depending on the size.

**A huge THANK YOU to Maddie for also taking beautiful photographs at the event and to BHLDN for supplying some of the bridal shower-perfect decor and paper products. Maddie also blogged about the event here on her blog and posted more photos, so check it out!

Autumn California Sandwich

I love sandwiches. They take me back to lunch time as a kid where I ate my fair share of Turkey and Cheese, Grilled Cheese, and Peanut Butter and Jelly. And then I discovered the pressed sandwiches at Panera in high school. They felt so gourmet, so fancy with their crispy exteriors and melty interiors. Going to Panera was THE thing to do with your girlfriends when I was sixteen. We would each grab a sandwich, a cup of chai, and gossip the afternoon away like we had nowhere to be... because we actually had nowhere to be. And then I grew up and started eating sandwiches with things like sprouts, avocado, caramelized onions, butternut squash, kale pesto, and marinated tempeh. I still love simple sandwiches, especially when someone else makes them for me, but I also love sandwiches with a bit of drama to them.

This sandwich here is certainly dramatic. It looks like the California Sandwich- that iconic vegetarian sandwich loaded with tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, Monterey Jack, slathered with a tangy chive and parsley spread. But I replace the tomato with sweet and earthy roasted kabocha squash, aged cheddar subs in for the Monterery Jack, and I make a quick spread of thick Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and chives to replace the traditional mayo dressing.

I have to brag about my little sprouts for a moment because I sprouted them myself! I am a bit of a gardening novice and am always surprised when I can grown anything in my little beds, but sprouts are virtually foolproof! My Mom gifted me some mixed sprouting seeds from the local farmers' market at home in North Carolina, and after 4 days of rinsing and draining in a ventilated jar, I had these fresh, crunchy, bright little things! They have been delicious in grain bowls, but they are to-die-for on this sandwich. Of course you can buy the sprouts from the store, but if you are looking to feel like a proud parent, invest in some sprout seeds.

The kabocha squash is not as acidic as the tomato would be, but I find it makes a really comforting sandwich for this cooler weather and goes well with the aged cheddar. I serve it on a seedy multi-grain bread like the traditional California sandwich because I love its nuttiness and it holds up to all of the toppings, but go with whatever sturdy bread you have on hand.

Autumn California Sandwich

1 1/2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 green onions or a few chives, thinly sliced (mostly light green to dark green parts)
salt and pepper
1.5-2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, sliced (I used Cabot)
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
4 slices of roasted kabocha squash*
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts or other sprouts you like
1 garlic clove
2 slices multi-grain bread

In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, and sliced green onions/ chives. Season with salt and pepper. Cut garlic clove in half and rub on one side of each bread slice. Spread yogurt mixture on top of each slice. Layer cheese on top of one side, then avocado, squash, and finally sprouts. Top with remaining slice of bread. Enjoy! Makes 1.

*Delicata squash or butternut would make a fine substitute. To roast squash, slice in 1/2" slices, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil, and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until golden and tender.