Salsa Verde to the Rescue

Oh.  Hi there.

It's me, your friendly neighborhood olive oil lady.  Sorry you haven't heard from me in a while.  But here I am!  I promise I haven't forgotten about you.  I hope your summer is going well and that you all had a fun, safe July Fourth Weekend.  I have been doing all the Fayetteville summertime things: concerts in the park, botanical gardens, farmer's market, chigger bites, sun burns, trying to keep my children occupied for 8 hours a day.  You know, the usual. 

We have a couple of new items in the store.  First, there's Madagascar Black Pepper Olive Oil.  At first, it seems like just another lovely mild olive oil.  And then you get a hint of cracked black pepper that creeps up on you.  It's a really fun oil.  To me, it tastes like one of the medium/robust extra virgin olive oils, but with no bitterness and all the peppery finish.  Try it with pasta, parmesan, and a fried egg.  (Side note: have you guys tried Pozza's pasta?  It's hand made in Tontitown!  It's amazing!  I can always find it at Harp's and it's sooooo good.)  Try it on popcorn.  Add it to your Steak and Potato Foil Pack Dinner.  I like it!  I think we'll keep it around.

Next, we brought back the Alfoos Mango White Balsamic.  This is a sweet and smooth hot-weather worthy balsamic.  Add it to fizzy water for a fun drink.  It pairs well with the Persian Lime Olive Oil, which happens to be on sale this month.  Take 20% off for flavor boosting fun!  Use the Mango/Lime combo on fish tacos and peppery arugula salads.  This is a crowd favorite that we only keep around for summer, so get it while you can!

We are fully stocked on olives, my friends.  We have the green chili/garlic stuffed, red chili/garlic stuffed, lemon stuffed, and Abuela style olives on the shelves.  Every one of these takes martinis and Bloody Mary's to the next level.  Also, your charcuterie plates will be sure to impress with these green beauties in the mix.

We will be switching out extra virgin olive oils soon.  Right now, we have a really excellent selection of Northern Hemisphere oils from Portugal, Spain and Italy.  As wonderful as the current olive oils are, the varieties were somewhat rare.  We have Cobrancosa, Chiquitita, Biancolilla, Cerasuola, and Nocellara.  Yeah, those are not the varieties that we generally know and love.  But fear not! Over the next few months we'll get in the Southern Hemisphere harvest, which includes: Australian Koroneiki, Hojiblanca, Picholine, Manzanillo, and Barnea (which we haven't had since we opened in 2014!); and Chilean Arbosana, Arbequina, Picual, and Coratina.  Yes...those are familiar.  And award winning!  I think this is going to be an amazing year for olive oil.

Since I have a lot of new readers and I haven't written to you old hats in half a year (apologies, again), I feel like I should explain why we switch out our EVOOs.  Feel free to skip this paragraph if you know the ins and outs of olive oil.  Olive oil is a fruit juice.  Fruit juices do not keep.  They are not like wine or balsamic that get better with age.  You do not want to hoard olive oil.  It oxidizes and becomes rancid with time.  Generally, from the time the olives are pressed into oil, you have about 16 months of freshness.  Then it is time to toss out any old oil.  Olives are harvested in the fall (October/November for Northern Hemisphere and May/June for the Southern Hemisphere) and immediately pressed into oil.  In our store, we keep the freshest olive oil possible.  That's why we switch oils as the new harvests come in and why we have the date the oils were pressed on the fusti tag.  I know it can be frustrating when you find an oil you love and then we don't have it anymore, but I promise it's better than supplying you with half-rancid oil.  We always try our best to keep your favorite varieties around, but no batch of oil will taste exactly the same from harvest to harvest.  They will, however, be delicious!

Now, on to what you guys really want...a new recipe.  I have been decidedly uninspired when it comes to cooking lately.  I'm talking spruced-up ramen noodles, egg fried rice, peanut butter-honey sandwiches, and cereal-for-dinner uninspired...since February.  The struggle, my friends, has been real.  But now it's summer.  And I remembered that grills are magical beings that can transform a package of chicken thighs into a delicacy.  Seared tuna steaks, shrimp kabobs, a lovely steak.  All the meats (and the veggies, too...I see you, fajitas) become a quick and easy dinner when it's grilling season.

But the real dinner-time hero is this sauce.  It doesn't look like much, and I couldn't tell you how to make it exactly the same way every time, but this is the sauce of the summer.  It goes by many names: salsa verde, Columbian salsa, cilantro-lime sauce, or herby-green-sauce.  Whatever you call it, and however you make it, it is a culinary all-star.  It goes like this: olive oil (preferably Persian Lime Olive Oil), an entire bunch of cilantro, almost an entire package of green onions, a jalapeno (optional), a little sugar, salt, white vinegar, and lime juice.

To those of you already scrunching your nose, know this: I hate cilantro.  I'm not a huge onion fan, either.  But I adore this sauce.  Its versatility will amaze you and the flavor combo is just right.  Spoon it over herbed meatballs, add it to yellow curry, add a little more oil and use it as a salad dressing, use it as a marinade for grilled chicken or shrimp, drizzle it into lentil soup, or dollop it on top your cold Asian noodles.  All you do is wash your cilantro and green onions, trim off the ends of both, and throw everything into a blender or food processor.  Fiddle with it until you get the sweet/sour/savory balance you prefer and then make it again and again all summer long because it goes on everything.  It's a little runnier than regular salsa, but not quite as thin as plain old oil/vinegar salad dressing.  I'll leave you to experiment with it however you'd like.  I trust your judgment.

Salsa Verde/Columbian Salsa
Recipe adapted from my amazing Mother in Law, Sydnie Kleinhenz

1 bunch cilantro, washed and ends slightly trimmed
3/4 package of green onions/scallions, washed and ends trimmed
1/3 cup (or more) Persian Lime Olive Oil
1 jalapeno, seeded (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. (or more) white sugar
1 tsp. (or more) salt
1/4 cup (or more) distilled white vinegar (or wine vinegar or apple cider...whatever you have lying around, but probably not Balsamic, unless you omit the sugar)
Juice of 1/2 a lime (or a whole lime, if you like the acidity/don't use Persian Lime Olive Oil)

1.  Wash the cilantro and green onions.  Trim their ends.  Cut the jalapeno in half and remove the seeds.

2.  Throw all the ingredients into a food processor or blender.  Blend it all together until mostly smooth.  Taste for sweet/salty/savory balance and add more of the sugar, or salt, or vinegar until it tastes the way you want it.  Keep it in the refrigerator (will keep for at least a week, if not longer) and use it often.

Well, that's pretty much it.  Not too much to report.  I'll try to keep you posted on the ins and outs of what's going on when the new harvest gets in.  In the meantime, enjoy your summer and I'll see you soon!

Cheers,
Andrea

Simplicity

Hi, friends and Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  And let me start by thanking each of you for letting us be a part of your celebrations.  From stocking stuffers to centerpieces on the dinner table, thank you for shopping local with us.  We wouldn't be here without you!

Even though the holidays are over, I know parking on the square is an ongoing issue.  If you're in a hurry and know what you want, you can always give us a call at (479) 445-6066 and place your order over the phone.  We will bottle it up and have it ready to go for you to just pop in and grab it.  We can call it "Cask & Grove Curbside" or "Cask & Grove Carry-Out" or something snappy like that.  If there is a way to make your experience easier, let us know!  Also, our hours are back to normal.  Tuesday-Friday 10:00-6:00 and Saturday 10:00-3:00.

We have three sale balsamics this month.  Our Lavender Dark Balsamic, Coconut White Balsamic, and Pineapple White Balsamic are all 25% off.  If you love the Vermont Maple Dark Balsamic, get it while you can, as it is a seasonal vinegar and once it's out, that's all there is...for now!  We just decanted a new batch of the Honey Ginger White Balsamic.  It may be the most gingery batch I have ever tasted.  It's fantastic with the Toasted Sesame Oil.  We have a pretty good stock of the Spanish olives and I'll try and keep it that way.  We're also getting the Northern Hemisphere extra virgin olive oils in slowly, but surely.  Right now we have a tasty California Manzanillo that is smooth and
lovely, with that bite of pungency at the end that marks it as a winner in my book.  Throughout the month, there will be more Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese oils making there way to us, including this vibrant green Spanish Picual.  Hold tight! 

I had a glorious plan about what I was going to write this time on the Cask & Grove blog.  I was going to tell you to make this amazing Cauliflower Walnut Vegan Taco Meat (no really, it's AH-Maz-Ing) along with this addictive Vegan Mexican Cheese because it's 2019 now and we should be more sustainable by eating more vegetables and nuts and what have you.  I still encourage you to make those recipes, as they are fantastic and I highly recommend them.  However, the original writers do them better justice than I could, so just mosey over to their blogs to get the info.  Because...

While procrastinating writing this post, I accidentally sat down and turned on Netflix and those crafty so-and-so's flashed a show called "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" at me.  Within two minutes, I was hooked.  You guys, the very first episode was "Fat" and it opened up with a beautiful olive grove.  They were pressing olive oil.  They were speaking my love language, and I'm not talking about just the lilting Italian.  The oil was a lovely, vibrant green.  They spoke of pungency, and bitterness and the spice in the back of your throat!  Ahhhh.  As the episode progressed, she made focaccia (one of my favorites) and fresh pasta (also one of my favorites).  It dawned on me that instead of getting fancy with spices and creative ingredients, I should go back to the basics.  I wanted pasta.

By the time the episode was over, it was 5 p.m.  I threw my better judgment to the wind and made my own home made pasta.  Why use store bought pasta when it only takes 45 minutes from start to finish to make your own?  (Except for 99.8% of the time when I don't have 45 minutes to make my own pasta and store bought is A-Okay.)  I still had a head of cauliflower in my refrigerator, but instead of turning it into tasty taco meat that my children won't eat anyway, I decided to give a good roasting with just some of that zesty California Manzanillo EVOO, salt and pepper.  I wanted a simple dinner that showcased the delicious olive oil.  I prevailed!

And that, I think, is going to be my theme for this year.  Simplicity.  There are a million different ways that I can make life more complicated than it needs to be. (Hello, I'm Andrea, and I have two young children, a small business, and am a first year law student.  How can I make life harder? Oh yeah, by making my own pasta.)  But really, the best things tend to be the most basic.  If you ask me what my favorite balsamic is, I'll tell you it's the Traditional Balsamic.  And my favorite olive oil is any one of the robust extra virgin olive oils.  It doesn't need to be complicated to be perfect.

So...I give you recipes for roasted cauliflower and home made pasta.  Roasting cauliflower, or any vegetable for that matter, is as easy as it gets.  You take a vegetable, chop it up, drizzle it with oil and put it in a hot oven for a little while.  Easy peasy! Home made pasta is also incredibly easy.  Flour, eggs and a little bit of water and some time.  That's all.  Having a pasta roller around is nice, but you don't need one to get the job done.  An old fashioned rolling pin and a large counter-top/table will work just fine.  (Side note: if you're ever on the lookout for weird kitchen gadgets that you use once every three years, such as this lovely pasta machine, I highly recommend garage sales.  No body in their right mind makes their own pasta except for me, and now you.)  If you haven't eaten fresh pasta before, you are in for a treat! 

Roasted Cauliflower (or any vegetable, the same rules apply)

1 head cauliflower, chopped and washed
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place rinsed cauliflower on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, shaking pan around once, halfway through.  Remove cauliflower from oven and drizzle with olive oil again!  In fact, go to town by putting the cauliflower in a bowl, give it a really healthy dose of olive oil (think of marinating it), and get crazy by adding in a teaspoon or so of good Dijon or Spicy mustard.  Yes, that's right.  Mustard.  Add in a few snips of fresh parsley and a shake of red pepper flakes and you're in heaven.

Home Made Pasta
From Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

2 c. (300 grams) all purpose flour
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
Tiny amount of water

Mound the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a tiny well in the middle.  Crack your eggs and put your yolks into the well you created.  Take a fork and whisk the eggs, while slowly pulling in the surrounding flour.  Keep whisking it all together.  It will look like a shaggy, sticky mess.  If it gets too dry, add a TINY bit of water (I usually add in 1/2 tsp. at a time)  and switch to using your hands and gather up any dry bits of flour until it comes into a mass of dough.

Now turn your dough onto a floured work surface and knead the dough, as you would knead bread, until it is smooth and elastic, 4-5 minutes.  You can add more water as you go, if it's too dry, or add more flour if it's too sticky.  Okay!  Now wrap it in plastic wrap and set it aside to rest for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  And make any sauces you want to go on your pasta: pesto, marinara, bolognese, alfredo, or just plain olive oil.

If you happen to have a pasta rolling machine, then this is the fun part!  Working with a quarter to half the dough, roll it out on a floured surface until it is a small rectangle.  Feed it through your roller until it's the right thinness, keeping it floured along the way so that it does not stick.  After you've rolled it through the machine 5-6 times, run it through your pasta cutter attachment, separating out the noodles and keeping them floured.  After carefully separating out the pasta, let it hang on a hanger until you have finished rolling and cutting the other half of the dough.

If you do not happen to have a pasta rolling machine, do not despair!  People have been making pasta for a long time without fancy gadgets.  Flour a good work surface, flour a rolling pin, and start rolling.  Work carefully, with half the dough at a time.  The dough shouldn't resist you the way bread does, but it can still tear, so go slowly.  Roll until it's nearly see through, keeping it well floured the whole time.  Once you get a good sheet of pasta, gently fold it in thirds on top of itself (WELL FLOURED between the layers!) like you're folding a letter.  Take a sharp knife and cut the pasta into thin strips.  Unfold them, carefully, and hang them on a hanger while you repeat the process with the other half.

Gently put your cut pasta in the salty boiling water, cook for 4-5 minutes, or to the chewiness you desire. It cooks much faster than the dried stuff in the box.  Drain pasta.  Top with whatever sauce you desire and a sprinkle of cheese.  Devour.

There a tons of YouTube videos and a video in the link for Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat that do a great job of explaining the process.  It's not difficult and it can be a lot of fun!  I hope you give it a try and enjoy it.

I'll see you all soon. Here's to a fantastic 2019.

Cheers!
Andrea

William's Soup

Hello everyone!

Happy Fall

It has been a wild few months of adjustment around here.  William started kindergarten, Matilda started day care, and I started law school!  Go team.  Please forgive my lack of emailing, well...anything.  But here we are.  Bear with me.

What's new around the store? All the best things, of course.  Since we finally have lovely, drizzly, fall-like weather, we have adapted the store to your needs.  We brought back the Maple Dark Balsamic that contains pure Vermont Maple Syrup and, folks, this one is a gem.  I would pair it with the Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil and drizzle it over a salad with sliced apples or pears and walnuts.  It goes over  your fall vegetables of sweet potatoes, acorn squash, or Brussels sprouts. It is delicious over desserts like coffee cake, apple crisps, or pound cake.  This is the quintessential fall balsamic.  Give it a try.

We decided to bring a new White Balsamic into our midst.  For the first time, we are carrying the Pineapple White Balsamic!  This one was often requested, but I had my reservations.  Pineapples are delightful.  Pineapple Balsamic was questionable.  There was no need for my skepticism, in the end.  It's fantastic.  It is playful and sweet, but with the hint of sour from the balsamic.  It's probably our sweetest white balsamic, now outranking the Blenheim Apricot.  I haven't played with it too much, since my focus has been on the Maple Balsamic, but I think it would be amazing in an Asian-inspired salad or a banh-mi-bowl.  Pair it with the Persian Lime or Baklouti Green Chili Olive Oils. 

For all of you olive lovers out there, I ordered a new kind this month.  Don't worry, I still have the Abuela-style, Green Chili Stuffed, and Red Chili kind, too! But this one is a Manzanilla olive stuffed with lemon peels.  It is your one stop martini shop.  It would probably also do wonders to this braised chicken with lemon and olives recipe. 

Just a reminder, our fall and winter Saturday hours are 10:00-3:00, except around the holidays.  I'll let you know when our holiday hours kick in, but for now, we open at 10.  Last, but not least, our Sale Oil for the month is Wild Rosemary.  It seems an appropriate oil to have on hand this time of year.  I use it in my pot roast, a variety of soups (including the recipe below), and focaccia, just to give you a few ideas.  Enjoy 20% off your purchase of a Rosemary Olive Oil! 

Happy William

Now, on to this soup.  I'm naming this "William's Soup" because my picky-eater of a son ate three bowls of this.  Three.  And asked me to make it again the next week.  And told me it was the best soup he's ever eaten.  I could go on.  This is an incredibly easy dish to make, especially if you have an Instant Pot.  (Disclaimer: I have only made this version in the Instant Pot.  But I am certain that it would come out well either in a Slow Cooker or the old-fashioned way, on the stove-top.)  You basically throw everything in (except for the butter, flour, milk mixture that will be added at the end), walk away to enjoy your evening, come back into the kitchen, and dinner is ready!  Sorcery.  This is also a really good way to use your Black Truffle Oil that you bought once and then couldn't remember what to do with it.  You use it as a finisher for soups like this. 

Happy Wild Rice

Some advice about this soup: don't use brown rice/wild rice blend.  You want plain old Wild Rice.  You can buy it at the Co-op or Whole Foods, for sure.  It's a little pricy, but you only use 1 cup for an enormous pot of soup, so it should last you a while. Just promise me you won't use brown rice.  It's not the same.  If you wanted to make this a vegetarian soup, you absolutely can.  Use a pound or so of sliced mushrooms and vegetable broth and you're good to go.  I have made it both ways, and you can't go wrong. 

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup aka "William's Soup"
Adapted, only slightly from Pinch of Yum

Instant Pot - Slow Cooker - Dutch Oven

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. Rosemary or Garlic or Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 c. wild rice (NOT brown rice blend)
4 c. chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Pinches of rosemary and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
(or just use 1 1/2 c. milk)

Drizzle of Truffle Oil to finish.  Not a requirement, but definitely worth it.

Happy Soup

If using the Instant Pot:

1. Put everything in the first set of ingredients in that wondrous pot and close the lid. Cook for 45 minutes (manual, high pressure).  Release the steam manually.

2.  While steam is releasing slowly, in a separate pot on the stove top, melt butter over medium low heat.  Stir in flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling.  Slowly add in milk/cream, stirring until smooth.

3.  Once the steam is released, shred the chicken using two forks, smash up the garlic, and remove the bay leaf.  Add the butter/flour/milk mixture and give it a good stir.  Check for seasonings and add a healthy drizzle of truffle oil.  Enjoy!

If using a slow cooker:

All of the above, except set it on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.  I haven't tried this method, but I'm positive it would be delicious.

Old Fashioned way:

All of the above, except I would first heat the oil and give the chicken a good sear.  Now add in everything from the first list, and cook on low around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

I hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,
Andrea

My Top 10

Hello, friends!

It's August.  Officially.  The summer sneakily slipped away again.  Next week my daughter starts preschool full time and the week after that, my son begins Kindergarten.  What. In. The. World.  Where did summer go? The students will soon be back, football season will begin, the weather will get cooler, and before you know it, we'll be in full school year swing. 

I'm probably being overly dramatic, but I have started making lists.  I love lists. They soothe me.  Even if I don't check a single thing off, at least it's not swimming around in my mind anymore.  It seems only fitting, that for this post, I made you a list of my Top 10 Recipes.  I pulled many from the blog archives, but I have introduced a few new ones, too.  They aren't in any particular ranking order, as I love them all and I hope you will, too.

The common theme in every recipe is Olive Oil. Surprise! Some of the recipes just use a tablespoon or two, whereas some use 1/2 to 1 cup.  Whether you use a mild, medium, or robust oil is totally up to you and I don't think it would make much of a difference for any of the recipes, except for maybe the granola, where I would use a mild one. Some are quick recipes, some are slow.  All are lovely.

In solidarity to the below list, the discounted oil of the month is actually all of our 2017 Northern Hemisphere Olive Oils, from which you have five to choose: Ogliarola, Coratina Gran Cru, Biancolilla, Hojiblanca, or Organic Chetoui. The Southern Hemisphere harvest is finally in and in order to put them out, first I need to move our 2017 stock.  Come in during this month and get 25% off any 2017 Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

I ordered a ridiculous amount of olives that came in today.  Our distributor was out of stock for a while, any many of you are addicted.  Lucky for you, I have the "Abuela" recipe pitted olives, the Red Chili and Garlic stuffed olives, and Sevilla Orange stuffed olives by the boat load.  I vow to never run out again!  I feel like I am going to face some backlash for saying this as an olive oil store owner, but I don't actually like eating olives.  Until now.  Until these olives.  They are not your typical black circles on a pizza olives, they are large, juicy, flavorful olives.  From Spain. Faaaaancy.  And they make a martini that the characters of Mad Men would die for.  All of that was to say, we have olives again.  Sorry for running out.

Here are the recipes with the associated links!

1. Instant Pot Sausage and White Beans

https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/instant-pot-sausage-white-beans/

I meant to make this and freeze half for later.  I never got that far.  My family devoured the whole pot of beans within two days.  It was that good.

Notes:  If you don't have an Instant Pot (WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??), you could do these in a slow cooker, or even (gasp!) on the stove top.  If you aren't using the IP, make sure to soak your beans over night before you start.

This recipe says to cook for 45 minutes, but I found mine to need a full hour in the Instant Pot to be totally creamy.  I'm not a huge fan of thyme, so I reduced that measurement to 1/4 tsp.

You could use small red beans, omit the Rosemary, add some rice and Louisiana Hot Sauce and this recipe is now Red Beans and Rice.  Any way you shake it, this is my comfort food.

2. Chicken Marinade/Grilled Chicken

I use this marinade All. The. Time. For Greek Chicken pitas, Chicken Caesar Salads, Chicken Tikka Masala, you name it.  It's delicious.

3 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c. plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a gallon Ziploc bag, add the chicken and smush it around so that it all gets covered.  Stick it back in the refrigerator and marinate for about an hour or all day, while you move on to other things.

When you're ready, preheat your grill to medium flame (?).  Remove chicken from the bag and shake off excess marinade.  Place your chickens on the hot grill, close the lid, and leave them alone for about 5 minutes.  Flip them over and cook for about 5 more minutes (depending on how thin you pounded them and how hot your grill is).  When your chicken is cooked through, but not yet a dry, tough bird, remove and set aside until cool enough to slice.

3. Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

Taco Tuesday! Tacos Everyday! This is the best rice side in the world.  I usually leave out the peppers, so my daughter doesn't cry.  Otherwise, follow the instructions to a "T" and you will never make it any other way.

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

4. Roasted Cauliflower Pasta
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated Sept/Oct 2009

*Please note that you could skip the roasted garlic part and use our Garlic Infused Olive Oil, but I really, really love the complexity the roasted garlic adds to this dish.

**Also note that I have been making this recipe since 2009 and stopped measuring things around 2010, so the actual measurements given are approximations only. Proceed.

1 head garlic
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c. (ish) olive oil, divided
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 lb. Campanelle or Orecchiette Pasta
1 c. (ish) chopped Walnuts
1 lemon, juiced (or 2, if you really like lemon)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425.  Slice off the papery end of the garlic bulb, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap it in foil, place it on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven.  While that's getting started, chop up your cauliflower.  Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with a good bit (2 Tbsp.?) of olive oil, a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper. a pinch of sugar, and a shake of red pepper flakes (optional).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Remove the hot baking sheet with garlic from the oven and (quickly) put the cauliflower onto the sheet.  Return to the oven, and bake, turning once, for 30 minutes or so.  You might want to check on your garlic after 20 minutes and make sure it's still soft and not burning. Oh, and add your chopped walnuts to the baking sheet when there's 5 minutes left for the cauliflower, so they get a bit toasty.

Once your water is boiling, add in pasta and cook according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining it.  I like the put the cooked pasta back in the same bowl that I tossed my cauliflower in, so as to use any left-over oil.

Remove everything from the oven.  Put the cauliflower and walnuts in the same big bowl as the pasta.  Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted cloves (I start with half of the cloves, to make sure it's not too overpoweringly garlicky) into a medium bowl with the remaining olive oil and juice from a lemon.  Whisk it all together with some salt and pepper, until smooth.  Pour it over the pasta, adding in the reserved pasta water if it seems too dry.  Add on the Parmesan and toss well.  Voila!

5. Kale Chips

I love chips.  Potato Chips.  I do not allow them in my house, because they call to me.  I feel them looking at me.  I cannot resist. I really miss them, but I miss them a lot less if I have Kale Chips around.  I will eat an entire sheet pan of Kale Chips, but I don't feel the least bit queasy when I do.  In fact, I congratulate myself on eating so many vegetables in one sitting!  Plus, my kids love them.

Here's a how-to on kale chips from the Minimalist Baker blog.  Ignore the fact that she uses coconut oil.  Olive Oil all day, every day!

How To Make Kale Chips

6. My Go-To Granola

This granola has saved my life several times now.  I am generally not a breakfast eater and I get hangry.  I mean, Snickers commercials bad.  But if I have a bag of this granola around, it makes the perfect snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

6 c. old fashioned rolled oats
2-3 c. unsweetened coconut chips (found at ONF/Whole Foods in bulk)
3-4 c. chopped nuts of your choice or a dried fruit/nut combo
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
2/3 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil)

Preheat oven to 300.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Dump everything into a large bowl and mix well.

Bake for 40 minutes, flipping the granola every 15 minutes, so that it doesn't burn.  It should be lovely and fragrant and nicely golden when it is finished.  Let it cool before putting it in an air-tight container.

This will keep at room temperature for a couple weeks.  However, I freeze mine and grab handfuls out of the freezer bag in the morning and mix with whole milk yogurt.

7. Yumm Bowls

Let me tell you about a little thing called a Yumm Bowl.  It is a super filling, healthy little flavor bomb.  Even devout meat eaters will fall for this. It is as follows: brown rice, black beans, chopped tomatoes, a little salsa, sliced avocados, black olives, shredded cheddar cheese, and cilantro.  Throw on some jalapenos, if you wish.  Be sure to top it with a generous spoon full or two of Yumm Sauce and you are set. The flavor of the Yumm Sauce is really what makes it so amazing.  You can't put your finger on the exact spices and combos, but you also can't stop eating it.  And I have finally (!) perfected a copy cat recipe.  Yumm Bowls are gluten free, vegan (if you don't top it with cheese), and protein packed. If you don't like it at first, that's fine.  Try 3 more bites.  It grows on you, just like the mold and fungi did when we lived in Oregon. It makes for a great packed lunch and several dinners.

Yumm Sauce
Adapted from This site and this site and multiple trials and errors over the past 7 years
Makes about 2 cups

1/4 c. raw almonds or almond meal
1/4 c. EVOO (use a milder one, like Sevillano)
1/2 can rinsed and drained garbanzo beans
1/2 package of silken tofu
1/4 c. water
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. fresh cilantro
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. nutritional yeast (NOT baking yeast! Find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of Whole Foods or ONF.)

1. In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, put in the almonds and process until fairly fine.  Add the oil and garbanzo beans.  Pulse a bit, until smooth.  Add in everything else and process until really smooth.  You may need to add a bit more water or lemon juice, depending on your personal tastes, and if you like a thinner sauce.  It should be fairly thick, like hummus.

2. Put it in a covered container and refrigerate for an hour to meld the flavors, if you have time.  It will last in the refrigerator for a while (1-2 weeks?) and I have had success with freezing it before.  It might not last you that long, though.

8. Ratatouille

A fantastic end of summer dish to make on a lazy Saturday. Go to Market, get your veggies and a bag of seconds tomatoes.  Go home and put this in the oven while you catch up on laundry.  You can eat it hot, room temperature, cold.  It doesn't matter.  It just gets better with time.

Adapted from Saveur

1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 large yellow onions, quartered
2 medium zucchini, cut into 2" pieces
1 medium eggplant, cut into 2" pieces
1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained (Or fresh tomatoes, halved or quartered)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat oil in a large Dutch oven add oregano, basil, garlic, bay leaf, garlic and onions; cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

 2.  Stir in zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes and salt and pepper.  Turn off burner, transfer pot to oven, and bake uncovered for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

3.  Stir in basil and parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

9. Red Wine Porcini Pot Roast

This is "my" pot roast.  I know every Pinterest board has a "Mississippi Pot Roast" saved to it, with the stick of butter, ranch packet, yada yada.  But this one.  This one is the best.  You can follow the directions, as written in the link below, and it is AMAZING.  Transcendent even. Or, you can be like me and be a little lazier.  I still sear the roast in the olive oil, followed by the onions and celery, but the rest I just throw into a crock pot and leave it on high for 5 hours, or low all day.  I do none of the boiling the dried mushrooms, hand crushing the tomatoes one at a time, etc.  And where do you find marjoram?  What herb is this? I don't think it really exists.  I use a few pinches of dried Rosemary and call it a day.

I use my immersion blender at the end, to puree the sauce and pour it over anything that will stand still.  Usually carrots and potatoes, which you can throw in with the pot roast, if you so choose.  It isn't a viral internet sensation, but this roast is soooo good.  It makes a great week night meal.

Red Wine Pot Roast

10. Smothered Cabbage Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.  It's traditionally more of a fall or winter dish, and it's also one to make on the rainy weekend day, when you can put the cabbage in the oven and go on to do other things.  But I will gladly eat it any time or year, rain or shine. I can't describe it well, but I want any person who says, "I don't like cabbage" to make this.  It will change your mind.  And since it's a peasant dish, it's super cheap to make a large pot!

Smothered Cabbage, Venetian Style

Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup

Well, I think that wraps it up. I hope you all have a seamless transition to the school year.  If you don't have to worry about school stuff, well...I hope you have a lovely August anyway.

Cheers!

Andrea   

Summer Time Balsamic

Hello, friends!

I think we can safely say, "Happy Summer" now that we have a heat index over 105 degrees.  My childhood memories of summer are nothing short of glorious.  I spent every single day at the swimming pool with my friends, basking in the joy of being out of school for three whole months.  I stayed up until the wee hours, knowing I could sleep in until noon, at which time I would eat a pickle and cheese sandwich, watch Days of Our Lives, and then go to the pool. Plus, there was fireworks, my birthday, very minimal clothing, and watermelon!

Now I am an adult and it is dawning on me that I am not actually a Summer Person. I dread the week long barrage of fireworks that terrify my cat and daughter.  My birthday is not as exciting as it once was now that I have been able to drive, vote, and drink alcohol for well over a decade.  Two children later and I'm much more of a jeans, cardigan, and supportive shoes type of gal. Flip flops? Pfft.  I still love swimming, but I spend much less of my pool time tanning with Banana Boat SPF -2 and much more of that time keeping my kids from drowning, getting sun burns, and being carried off by swarms of mosquitoes.  I still like watermelon, so that one can stay.  My fourteen year old self is aghast.

All of this is to say, the three month countdown to cooler weather has begun!  In the meantime, this is the time of year that I don't cook.  Much.  If I can help it. (We meet again, pickle and cheese sandwiches.) So this month I'm not giving you a recipe, per se.  I'm going to give you a Dark Cherry Balsamic at 20% off (hooray sale balsamic!) accompanied by suggested ways to use it. 

The first is, of course, on a salad.  My absolute favorite salad so far this summer has been fresh dark cherries, spinach, goat cheese, and shelled pistachios or pecans drizzled with Black Cherry Balsamic and Eureka Lemon Olive Oil.  You will never regret making this salad, maybe for every meal.  Go ahead and grab a Country Loaf of crusty sourdough from Dirty Apron to sop up what's left at the bottom of your bowl.  Since I refuse to turn on my oven, I let other people bake my bread in this heat.  A slight breakfast variation is whole milk yogurt, pitted fresh cherries, shelled pistachios or pecans and a drizzle of Black Cherry Balsamic.  Can you guess what I have been eating every day?  You could grill a pork tenderloin or chops and serve it with the Black Cherry Balsamic drizzled over it for a sweet, tart finish.  You could add it to some sparkling water with a bit of lime for a cherry limeade.  Throw in a Tablespoon or two to your cherry pie filling this 4th of July or serve it over vanilla ice cream.  (Speaking of, we are closed Wednesday, July 4.) Basically, any way you shake it, this is your Summer Time Balsamic.

So...store news! We have a new lovely lady working some afternoons.  Her name is Logan and she is especially wonderful.  You will like her a lot. We also have some adorable new kitchen towels, which are not quite as exciting as a new shop lady.  But they are cute, with their whimsical screen printed designs and all.  We are saying a temporary goodbye to the Raspberry Balsamic and replacing it with the often requested Wild Blueberry Balsamic.  It is blueberry season, after all!  I hope you enjoy it.  If you are in love with the Raspberry, we still have several bottles poured up that you can horde until we get it back next year.  On a sadder note, our distributor has discontinued the Cayenne Chili Olive Oil.  What we have left is all there is.  I'm not quite sure what we're replacing it with, but if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. 

We're running a bit low on our Extra Virgin Olive Oils because I am being stubborn and waiting for the Southern Hemisphere crop to become available.  However, if the updated list isn't out by the end of this week, I'll reorder our Northern Hemisphere oils and that will be just fine. Sorry for any inconvenience to you guys, I just get so excited about rotating out the harvests!  I'm still convinced that the new crop will be out any day now.  Any day...

Well, I think that sums it up.  Get it?  Sums...summer? Stay cool out there.  Have a safe and happy Independence Day.  Enjoy your Black Cherry Balsamic everything.  See you soon.

Cheers,
Andrea

May Day

Hello there!

How are you? I'm doing well.  You know, just looking at my calendar and getting a little overwhelmed.  Don't panic. No big deal. Deep. Breaths. Between soccer (our season just ended.  Go Hurricanes! I don't know if there is anything more hilarious than watching 4 year olds play sports), t-ball/baseball/softball, finals, graduations, graduation parties, prom? is that over?, end of year programs, and all the other things that seem to snowball this month, I don't know how things are looking on your end, but I'm betting they're...fun. These are the moments, they say.  You'll miss this one day, they say.

In the midst of all the chaos, let's not forget that Mother's Day is smack dab in the middle of the month.  Isn't that fitting?  What is the craziest month of the year?  Yeah, let's give Mom her day of "relaxation" during that.  I'm sure she's likely to get a nice long lie-in, breakfast in bed, a day at the spa, and a candle lit dinner made by not her amidst driving everyone to the 1,000 different places they need to go and attending that choir concert that she was just told about 2 hours ago.  It's a lesson in irony.  Why can't Mother's Day be in March? We do nothing in March.  I'm gonna start a petition.

Anyway, remember to get your Mom a gift.  She deserves one.  I propose that you pop into our humble store and grab the Mother's Day Special, which is a 200 ml bottle of olive oil, a 200 ml bottle of balsamic, and a Taza Chocolate for $25.  We'll even wrap it in lovely paper and a bag!  Easy peasy. Our fantastic ladies will help you pair up flavors that will make your mama proud.  The Basil Infused Olive Oil is our springy sale oil, but (BUT!) you cannot apply the 20% off discount to the Mother's Day Special.  If one of your chosen oils happens to be the Basil, the price is still a flat $25 for the oil, balsamic, and chocolate.  Does that make sense?  Hopefully. 

I love the Basil Olive Oil because it pairs with nearly everything.  I like it with the following balsamics: Pomegranate, Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach, Sicilian Lemon, Grapefruit, Apricot.  You get the idea.  I like to make omelets or egg dishes with it.  I use it to make grilled (mozzarella or provolone) sandwiches.  I makes a super bread dipping oil or a quick pasta dish.  It's an easy oil to love!

Speaking of easy, the recipes I'm going to share with you this month are 30 minute meals. (Realistically, 45 minutes to an hour because if your children are anything like mine, they will interrupt you constantly, turning even the simplest task into an Ordeal. I have a naked child covered in strawberries screaming at me this very moment while I type one handed. Have children, they say.  They're wonderful, they say.) Both recipes call for the Basil Infused Olive Oil, but could not be more different in terms of ingredients and flavors. 

The first one is a Slow Cooker Basil Coconut Chicken Curry.  I have made this in my Instant Pot, which is my preferred method, and in the good old fashioned crock pot, both to great results.  (By the way, have I mentioned my Instant Pot?  Do you have an Instant Pot? Do you want to come over and we can talk about how much we love our Instant Pots?) Basically, you use the saute function to cook the chicken, then your onion and aromatics in the Basil Olive Oil, then you pour in two cans of full fat coconut milk, and spices.  (Note: I use plain yellow curry powder found in the spice section of the grocery store.  You could probably use a tablespoon or two of red or green curry paste and it would work well.) Cover it up and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. You could probably even cut corners and not precook the chicken and what have you's, and throw it all in the crock pot or Instant Pot, but I have not done this, so I can't exactly tell you how it comes out. What I can tell you is that the result is a comforting dish that's not too over the top in spiciness or curryness. It's a pretty perfect spring slow cooking meal.  It goes great with sauteed veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, or spinach, or all alone as it is. I like with a nice side of rice or naan or even wrapped in a tortilla for a curry burrito.  Most importantly, it's easy. 

The next recipe is an all time favorite pasta dish a la the 1970's that you should make for your Mom for her Mother's Day Dinner while she sits back drinking a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio. It's a classic from one of my most beloved cook books, The Culinary Institute of America's Cooking at Home.  I give you: Pasta Primavera with Basil Cream Sauce.  You want this.  It's a versatile recipe that is nearly impossible to mess up.  Boil water, add pasta.  While water is coming to a boil, saute a leek or an onion in Basil Olive Oil. When that gets soft, add more vegetables such as asparagus, mushrooms, and peas or snap peas, zucchini, and green beans. Whatever you have on hand, use those.  Cook those until they are softened and the liquid has cooked off.  Add one. cup. of. cream.  You heard me. One cup.  If that makes you a little weak-kneed, use 1/2 and 1/2 instead.  (But let's be honest, it's May and you deserve this.)  Then add parmesan cheese, salt (Truffle Salt. We're being decadent here, so we might as well go all out.), pepper, and a "basil chiffonade" which is fancy talk for basil leaves that have been thinly sliced.  Serve it to your Mom first to chase her wine.  You can make this for a side with Marcella Hazan's chicken with two lemons or salmon or as the main dish with a side salad.  It comes together quickly and easily and will likely become one of your busy week meals, as it is mine. 

Basil Coconut Chicken Curry
Recipe slightly adapted from The Food Charlatan

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. Basil Infused Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional, if you want it spicy)
2 cans Coconut Milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt (Lime Salt!!)
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. dried basil OR a whole bunch of fresh basil, chopped
(If you are using fresh basil, add it at the end of cooking)
Fresh cilantro and/or basil to finish
Lime wedges
Sriracha

Instant Pot way:
1.  Select the saute function on high heat and heat the oil in the pot.  When the oil is hot, add your chicken and brown on both sides (you don't have to cook it through, just give it a sear, about 8 minutes).  Remove to a plate.

2.  Add your onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno (if using) to the pot and stir it occasionally until softened (5 minutes).

3.  Put your chicken back in the pot.  Add your coconut milk, salt, pepper, chili powder, curry powder and dried basil.

4.  Push cancel, then push Slow Cook.  Put the lid on, set the time for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  Shred chicken, add chopped fresh basil, if using. Top with cilantro and lime. Ta da!

Regular Slow Cooker way:

1.  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add your chicken and brown on both sides (you don't have to cook it through, just give it a sear, about 8 minutes).  Place the chicken in your crock pot.

2.  Add your onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno (if using) to the pan and stir it occasionally until softened (5 minutes).

3.  Put your cooked veggies into the crock pot with the chicken.  Add your coconut milk, salt, pepper, chili powder, curry powder and dried basil to the crock pot.

4.  Put the lid on, set the time for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  Shred chicken, add chopped fresh basil, if using. Top with cilantro and lime. Ta da!

Serve with rice, vegetables (I like roasted zucchini or cauliflower or sauteed spinach), a bit of chopped fresh herbs, lime wedges, spicy add ins and a healthy drizzle of Basil Infused Olive Oil.

Pasta Primavera with Basil Cream Sauce
Adapted from CIA's Cooking At Home

1 lb. linguine or fettuccine
2 Tbsp. Basil Infused Olive Oil
1 leek, white and light green parts sliced thin (or 1/2 onion, chopped)
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 c. fresh or thawed frozen peas
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. heavy cream (or if that sounds alarming, use 1/2 and 1/2)
1/3 c. grated parmesan
salt (Truffle Salt!!) and pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh basil sliced into ribbons

(You can substitute green beans, zucchini, sugar snap peas, etc. for any of the veggies in this recipe)

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and boil until al dente, per package directions.  (If you want to use your own fresh, home made pasta...good for you.) Drain and set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the leek (or onion) and saute until tender (7-10 minutes).  Add the remaining vegetables and saute until tender and the moisture has cooked away (10 minutes).

3.  Add cream, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Bring to a gentle simmer, cooking until sauce begins to thicken.

4.  Add pasta and toss together.  Finish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day.  Happy graduation.  Happy running around like crazy month.

You are the best.

Cheers,
Andrea

Happy Spring

Happy Spring, everyone!

I think we can officially say that it is spring.  Off and on rain, wild temperature mood swings, and the incessant blooming of the Bradford Pear Trees have made their appearances.  By the way, who thought it was a good idea to plant these awful trees every two feet in our town?  They smell awful and make everyone's eyes water and nose run. Blech.  But for all that complaining, I really do love this season. Want to know one of my favorite things about it?  The Farmer's Market, of course!  It's like everyone emerges from their winter hideouts and I see all the lovely, smiling faces that make this community so wonderful.  I love strolling down to the square and listening to the banjos, seeing the tents of farmers with their tender greens, fragrant flowers, and wares, and saying "hello" to all of you!  That's what is coming up this weekend (rain permitting).

On these glorious Market Saturdays, our fair store opens at 9:00 to catch you early(ish) morning shoppers.  Come on in and see what new goodies we have.  I restocked our Taza chocolates just in time for Easter.  We have a new Raspberry Crunch bar and a Wicked Dark Chocolate with Toasted Coconut that only has 2 grams of sugar per serving.  That's practically healthy!  We still have the old favorites Sea Salt and Almond, Toffee Crunch, Espresso Buzz, and Wicked Dark with Candied Ginger.  We also just got a fresh (can you call cured meat fresh?) batch of Chorizo Seco from Charlito's Cocina and it is oh so tasty.  I must admit that thinly sliced Chorizo with some fancy crackers and smokey cheese along side a jar of olives and nuts takes me on a mini European vacation.  It's like that old Calgon commercial, but with food instead of heavily perfumed bubble bath. Chorizo, take me away!

I noticed your eyes light up when I mentioned the word "olives."  I have good news, people. I placed an order for 4 cases of olives.  There are the Abuela Recipe pitted gordal olives with onions, green chili stuffed gordal olives, and red chili and garlic stuffed gordal olives coming our way.  They *should* be here today.  Probably.  Maybe.  I have no control over this.  But do you know what else is going to be on this magical shipment that may or may not be here today?  ROSEMARY FUSED OLIVE OIL!!!  That's right.  It's back.  Our distributors have been out of this wondrous oil since December.  But no longer, friends, will you have to wait.  I'm so excited!  I'm interested to try the Rosemary Oil paired with our Lavender Balsamic, which was just put out for spring.  I usually prefer the Lavender paired with our Eureka Lemon Fused Olive Oil, but I like to try new things.  I'll let you know what I think.

See my hands?  It's like I'm waving hello!

Speaking of new things, there is a new recipe that I tried out and I can't stop thinking about it.  It's a Banh Mi Bowl.  (Collective groans, "why does she always write about weird, unpronounceable things??" See Past Blog Posts to fully appreciate my readers' plight.) Banh Mi are Vietnamese Sandwiches that typically involve crispy roasted pork with pickled crunchy vegetables inside a crispy Baguette that is altogether a flavor and texture explosion that I highly recommend.  But I can't just leave well enough alone.  I had to turn that crispy pork into flavor-packed meatballs and the bread into rice or rice noodles.  The pickled vegetables had to stay, because there is no messing with perfection there.  I will quick pickle any vegetable in my refrigerator if it sits still long enough.  And soon you will, too!

Let's start with the meatballs.  If you don't eat meat, have no fear.  This Crispy Peanut Tofu is a 100% acceptable substitution.  But the meatballs, you guys.  They are so good.  Garlic, cilantro, chili paste, sesame oil, and fish sauce make these things the bees knees.  Fish sauce?  Get you some fish sauce.  You can find it in the Asian Section of most grocery stores.  My favorite brand is Red Boat, but any will do.  You can swap it out for soy sauce, but only if you absolutely have to. If you have ever made homemade Pad Thai or Red Curry and wondered why it doesn't taste the same as take-out, it's because you're not using enough fish sauce. Anyway, you make the meatballs like normal meatballs, bake them, and try not to eat them all at once, straight from the oven, whilst burning your mouth.

Beautiful pickled vegetables

While they are baking, make your rice or rice noodles and do your Quick Pickles. I suppose you could do the pickles before you start the meatballs. It's up to you.  Once you start doing Quick Pickles, you will always have some on deck.  I put them on my salads, my sandwiches, my Bloody Mary's.  Really, anything.  My favorite things to pickle are carrots, red onions, cucumbers, cabbage, radishes, and bell peppers.  The key is to thinly slice them.  You want them either in ribbons or disks, the better to soak up your vinegar solution.  What vinegar should you use?  Ironically, anything but Balsamic.  Do. Not. Use. Balsamic.  I use red wine vinegar mostly.  When I'm doing an Asian-style dinner, like Banh Mi Bowls, I use rice vinegar.  You can absolutely use the cheap old Distilled White Vinegar that you'll have left over from dying Easter Eggs and that'll work just fine.  You combine equal parts vinegar and cold water (I usually use 1/2 c. each, but make enough that your veggies are submerged) and equal parts salt and sugar (1 Tbsp. each, if using 1/2 cups of liquid) then stir in your vegetables and set them aside for 30 minutes or so.  That's it!  Cover them and stick them in your fridge for up to a week.  No scary canning, or cooking the solution or anything like that.  This is how you'll make your coleslaw all summer.

Anyway, you take your crispy meatballs and pickled vegetables and put them over a bowl of rice or rice noodles or a cubed baguette and top it with a bit of cilantro, chili paste, our Honey Ginger White Balsamic (wink! It's our sale vinegar for this month!), a drizzle of Toasted Sesame Oil, a bit of soy sauce, a handful of peanuts, chopped fresh jalapeno.  Really, whatever your heart desires!  You can turn it into a salad or lettuce wrap, if you want to. But however you make it, this will become one of your Top 10 thrown together meals for weeknights or busy weekends.

Thanks for reading along.  Oh, and for shopping with us.  We love you!  Cheers!

Banh Mi Bowls
Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Meatballs or Crispy Peanut Tofu
Quick Pickled Vegetables
Rice or Rice Noodles or Cubed Baguette
Cilantro
Jalapenos
Peanuts or Peanut Butter, if you want
Drizzle of Honey Ginger Balsamic (Sale!) and Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce
Sriracha or Chili Paste


Meatballs

Not beautiful vegetables.  But tasty meat!

1 lb. ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey, I guess)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. fish sauce (I guess you could use soy sauce instead, but go for the fish sauce)
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey
1 Tbsp. chili paste (OR 1 tsp. chili flakes)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/4 c. panko or regular (not Seasoned) breadcrumbs (OR 2 tsp. cornstarch)
Healthy Drizzle of Toasted Sesame Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.  Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl, mix well with your clean hands.  Form into meatballs around the size of a walnut, or 2 Tbsp. and place them on an unlined baking sheet. You should get about 24 meatballs.

2.  Bake meatballs about 25-30 minutes (I forgot to time it, but this is probably right), until they are cooked through with crispy edges and smell divine.

While they are baking, make your Quick Pickled Veggies

Quick Pickled Vegetables
1/2 c. vinegar (red wine, rice, or white vinegar, depending on the cuisine your pickles are going with)
1/2 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

(Really, you can do any vegetables. Cabbage, bell peppers, radishes, jalapenos...)

1.  Whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium sized bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

2.  Add your vegetables and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer, or in the refrigerator for hours.  They will last, covered, for several days.  The vegetables will be less crispy, but more pickled, the longer you leave them.

P.S. Happy Easter! Happy Passover!  Happy Spring! (I can't tell if this photo filter is supposed to be  a bunny or a cat.  Matilda did it.)

Cat or bunny? You decide.