Bulgar and chickpea salad with oven-roasted trimmed artichokes

We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016221-bulgur-and-chickpea-salad-with-roasted-artichokes First, for detailed instructions on trimming and roasting artichokes, see this method post: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/175450614661/oven-roasted-trimmed-artichokes-we-trimmed-large Second, we modified this NYT recipe by reducing the amount of salt to barely ½ tsp total and using no-salt canned chick peas. We also used 1 Tbsp dried chives instead of 2 Tbsp fresh… Continue reading Bulgar and chickpea salad with oven-roasted trimmed artichokes

Chickpea, cucumber, and carrot salad

I learned this recipe from my friend Abby many years ago in London. Over time, I determined that cutting the cucumber and carrot into ½ inch dice, mimicking the size of the chickpeas, works best for flavor. Drain three 14.5 oz canned chickpeas (for a total of 43.5 oz) and place in a large mixing… Continue reading Chickpea, cucumber, and carrot salad

Watermelon and jicama salad with citrus notes

Bobby Flay's recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/jicama-and-watermelon-salad-recipe-1941006.html?soc=itksocialsharedefault%7Cios%7Cp. Although the recipe called for only 1 tsp each of orange and lime zest, we used all zest from one orange and two limes.  We also used about 1 cup jicama to 4 cups watermelon.  We will garnish with spearmint later.  (Sept. 2015)

Indian spiced fruit salad (fruit chaat)

This is a simple salad of various fruits cut into bite-sized pieces (here, 3 small guavas, a red delicious apple, a red pear, a plum, 1 cup red grapes, and 1 banana) tossed with the juice of one lime, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp each cayenne and black pepper.  The addition of savory spices… Continue reading Indian spiced fruit salad (fruit chaat)

Couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates

We followed this Food Network Kitchens recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cauliflower-couscous-recipe-2105437.html?soc=itksocialshareSMS%7Cios%7Cp However, we made substantial modifications: first, instead of sautéing the cauliflower and shallots (which we increased from 1 to 3 shallots), we seasoned them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper and oven-roasted them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (we increased heat to 450 for… Continue reading Couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates

Seville-marinated carrots  

When I saw multi-colored carrots at Trader Joe’s last week, I couldn’t resist making this recipe.  Peel and trim 1 lb of carrots, then boil in lightly salted water until crisp-tender (about 8 mins).  Drain, and then while still warm, cut into penny slices.  Separately, blend 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp each cumin seeds and… Continue reading Seville-marinated carrots  

Grilled vegetable antipasti

We followed this recipe:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-vegetable-antipasti-recipe-1911133 but swapped out some veggies.  The recipe calls for a 1:4 ratio of red wine vinegar to olive oil, but we typically use a 1:3 ratio of vinegar (½ red wine, ½ balsamic) and olive oil. Here, we marinated portobellos, bell peppers (yellow, orange, and red), cauliflower, broccoli, and eggplant.… Continue reading Grilled vegetable antipasti