Pomegranate and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

My sister-in-law got married just over a week ago in an intimate ceremony in the Catskills. It was a fun-filled three-day affair complete with a stunning bride, heartfelt vows, and tons of love from their closest family and friends. In return for an epic wedding present she and her fiancé gave us (they made us this beautiful video of my husband and me they presented us on our wedding day), I offered to prepare their welcome wedding feast. Now I'm not totally insane for offering; her wedding would only be 27 people. She requested lots of small bites that people could nibble on as they moved about, chit-chatting and getting to know each other.

The first thing that popped into my mind was a delicious dip bar! I'm a huge fan of mezze because I think there's pretty much something for everyone. Also, dips are low commitment. They can be made ahead of time, only get better with time as the flavors meld, and almost always involve throwing things in a food processor and pressing 'ON.' 

On the menu was a smoky beet hummus because it's just too pretty not to have on a tablescape, a bright and herby tzatziki of which I'm going to have to share with you someday because it was eat-with-a-spoon tasty, and this tart and earthy red pepper dip that I could slather on just about everything.

It's the offspring of two dips that come from different cultures with equally rich food histories. From Spain, you have romesco, a smoky red pepper dip that uses hazelnuts and/ or buttery Marcona almonds, smoked paprika, and often thickened with stale bread. The other dip, muhammara, hails from Syria and Turkey and is a red pepper and walnut dip slightly sweetened by the tart and tangy pomegranate molasses. If you haven't heard of or tasted pomegranate molasses, you're in for a real treat. It adds tremendous depth of flavor and nuance to anything it graces. It's that secret ingredient that people won't be able to quite put their finger on. I bought mine from Whole Foods, but you can get it online. There are even recipes out there to make your own with pomegranate juice and sugar, but a bottle of it will serve you well.

It's summer, and red peppers are quite abundant which means you can go about roasting your own in the oven and peeling them for a real seasonal treat. Or, if you're like me and have 8 other dishes to make for a wedding feast, you buy good quality roasted red peppers from a jar, drain them and proceed with the recipe. Having made this dip with home-roasted peppers, it does take on a rounder, more full-bodied taste, but it's only slightly perceptible. And probably only psychological if I'm being honest. 

Use this as dip, a sandwich spread, a bruschetta topper, a sauce for whatever protein you're having for dinner...it's so versatile. It also tastes just as great a few days after making which means it's the perfect treat for entertaining. 

Pomegranate Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 10-12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup marcona almonds
1/4 cup toasted and peeled hazelnuts for fancy version or toasted sunflower seeds for everyday version
1 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, to taste
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for sprinkling
Toasted bread, pita, or vegetables for serving

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except parsley. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into a bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Dip can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until serving.

I leave you with a pic of all three dips at the wedding welcome dinner. Thanks to my mother-in-law for capturing the photo while I ran around like a crazy woman.

Sweet Smoky Salmon with Cauliflower and Cilantro Pesto

I don't know how I don't have a fish recipe on this blog. Actually, scratch that. I do. It's not that I don't love fish. I do, but I don't cook a whole lot of it at home—for a few reasons. One, I can't stand the thought (and smell!) of fish wrappers sitting in the trash until trash night. Two, I'm always afraid I'm going to mess up a beautiful piece of expensive fish. Grains and beans, on the other hand, are virtually impossible to mess up and if I do, I won't be crying over the few dollars I wasted. And three, I have a hard time finding a reliable source of good-quality, sustainable fish. But fish is just so good for you and delicious, that I wanted to change the lack of fish in my life.

Recently,  I discovered a source of sustainable wild-caught salmon that I was happy with (hello there Wild Alaska Direct!), and the recipe wheels got to turning. I wanted something for the grill as the weather is just starting to warm up, but I also tested it on a George Foreman grill thingy. Does anyone but meal still use those? I haven't tested it on a plain skillet, but I can't see why that wouldn't work. You'll still get that smoky-caramelized action going on which is exactly what you're looking for.

The cilantro pepita pesto is a beauty itself. I've drizzled it on a slew of other things, and I have it here on the blog on my Grilled Peach Bruschetta. (Really though, bookmark that one for beach season because it is amazing.). I saute onion, add cauliflower to cook until tender, and then brighten it all up with cilantro pesto. I served this with brown rice, but any grain will do.  

Smoky Chili Salmon with Cauliflower and Cilantro Pepita Pesto

4 sustainably caught salmon fillets
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon olive oil
generous pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium head cauliflower
¼ cup water
Cilantro Pepita Pesto, recipe follows
Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted for serving
1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving
Cooked brown rice or other grain for serving

Preheat grill to medium high. Make salmon rub. Mix spices, honey, olive oil, and salt in small bowl until combined. Lay salmon skin side down and generously rub top of each with mixture, pressing into salmon to adhere. When grill is ready, place salmon skin side down and grill, covered, for 8-10 minutes depending on your grill and hot spots. When you think salmon is almost done, flip and allow to cook for just a minute or so to get nice grill marks on the salmon. If using a George Foreman, the salmon will take about 5 minutes and will not need to be flipped since it's cooking from both sides. Remove from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes.

To cook cauliflower, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until just softened and golden on the edges, 5-7 minutes. Add cauliflower, a generous pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup water, stirring to combine. Cover and allow cauliflower to steam for 7-8 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Remove cover and cook until cauliflower begins to caramelize and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat, dollop in 1/3 cup of pesto to start and stirring to distribute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more pesto if desired.

To serve, place salmon atop rice and cauliflower, adding toasted pumpkin seeds, a lemon slice and passing extra pesto if desired. Serves 4.

Cilantro Pepita Pesto:
½ jalapeño, seeds removed for less spicy variation
Generous 2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted
2 garlic cloves
1 lime, juiced and zest of ½ lime
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (for a richer pesto, you can add a little pumpkin seed oil instead of olive oil)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add everything to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Makes about ½ cup.

Creamy Coconut and Red Lentil Soup

I came down with a cold recently, and I was craving soup. As much as I love a fragrant, brothy soup like pho when I get the sniffles, my body wanted something more substantial (i.e. something that wouldn’t leave me hungry in two hours...does pho do that to anyone else but me?). Also when I’m sick, I go from having no appetite at all to suddenly wanting to devour everything in sight. Thank you, robust and raging immune system. I wanted soup, and I needed it fast.

Red lentils to the rescue. They cook in 20 minutes, take minimal effort for my cold-fighting body to breakdown, and they’re full of fiber and protein that keep me satisfied. I also tossed in coconut milk for added oomph, vitamin-rich carrots because I believe veggies of any kind are instant healers, and warming spices for extra comfort. A little apple showed up for a tart-sweet flavor and because we all know that vitamin c is a force when it comes to conquering illness.

I served it with brown rice, but any hearty bread would do. It also freezes well, so make a big batch and save some for later!  

To get the recipe, head over to Anthropologie’s blog. It’s a beautiful soup, but I must say it looks even prettier in their fancy bowls.

Winter Quinoa and Sprouts Salad with Tahini Dressing

It's in teens here, and while I may have been cooped up inside for the past few days, I'm growing things. Like real green things that I can eat. Sound too good to be true?

I'm talking about sprouts as in hippy-dippy alfalfa sprouts that crunchy, granola-loving peeps ate back in the sixties, then again in the nineties, and then again now. Except they're way cooler now, if only because I said so. I'm telling you—they're back.

Why am I telling you about sprouts in the middle of winter? For one, they are super-easy to grow inside, right on your counter top—trust me, I have a black thumb and I can grow oodles of them—and two, they are an amazing way to get that much closer to eating healthy. In my second post for Terrain, I discuss how growing your own food can actually help you check off that New Year's resolution to get healthier (here's the first post in case you missed it). I give simple growing instructions, and while all you need is a jar, a few days, and a few rinses under the sink, Terrain sells these cool sprout growing contraptions that enable you to always have sprouts on hand.

There are so many different types of sprouts if alfalfa isn't your thing, like mung bean, broccoli, radish, lentil. They add a pop of brightness to sandwiches, but I also love them tossed in salads. In this post, I share a recipe for a Winter and Quinoa Sprouts Salad with Tahini Dressing that features some of my favorite winter vegetables like radicchio, beets, and sweet potato alongside quinoa, creamy avocado, and a medley of sprouts. I hope you find it as addicting as I do!

You can find my tips and recipe on the Terrain blog.

Missed the previous Terrain post? Find it here.

Apple, Date, and Almond Butter Overnight Oats + Terrain!

I love making resolutions. As a list-maker and checkbox-ticker, resolutions are my jam. I love the idea of making goals that are so much bigger than what my day-to-day lists consist of like laundry, water plants, call insurance company, and confirm dental appt. Yeah, those lists are way less cool.

While I'm not going to share my full list of resolutions, I do have a few things that I'm focusing on like eliminating mind clutter, staying more connected to friends and family, and being more strategic about grocery shopping. For the last one, I'm not talking about strict menu planning, but rather, I'd like to start cooking many of the recipes that I've dogeared in the cookbooks I have, recipes I've pinned from blogs, or copied and pasted in some long lost file on my computer. This has been a struggle in the past because I tend to go to the market and grocery store without a list, buy what looks good, and then come up with a recipe when I get home. Fun stuff because I love creating new recipes and cooking by the seat of my pants, but I know that I can also learn a lot about more complex flavor development and more unfamiliar spices, etc. if I were to actually follow a tried and true tested recipe.

In the spirit of resolutions, I've teamed up with Terrain, Anthropologie's beautiful home and garden shop (and where we happened to get married), to bring you a series of tips to make healthy happen in the kitchen. No matter where on the healthy eating spectrum you lie, we can always use a little reminder and inspiration for how to make healthier decisions in the kitchen and tips that are easy to incorporate into your every day. Many of us know how to eat healthier; it's usually a question of how to fit it into the craziness of real life.

In the first installment, I talk all about why I love overnight oats, and finish with a recipe for Apple, Date, and Almond Butter Oats that I know you're going to love. It's been a favorite around here since I could buy apples at the local market. The best part is that you can make a big batch on the weekend, store it in cute jars, like Terrain's Weck jars, and then enjoy a nutritious breakfast (or snack) ALL WEEK LONG. Amazing, right?

Check out Terrain's blog for the recipe and my tips.

For more recipes for overnight oats, check out my pumpkin pie oats, coconut oats, and chia seed variation.

What New Year's resolutions did you make this year?