May 11, 2015

Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad

May 11, 2015/ Caitlin S

I wrapped up my final semester of grad school last week and have been day dreaming ever since (Yippee!! Recipe for a celebration treat to come! Here's a hint: It involves frosting and chocolate). I have Northern Italy on the mind! My browser's history is rich with images of Misurina Lake, old Castles with winding roads backdropped by and jagged mountains, and Tiramisu. Don't forget about the glass lakes, or storybook farm scenes either.

In the fall, I'll be traveling to Iceland, Germany, Austria, and Italy for two weeks! My mom and step-dad, who have been using Bavaria as a home base for the last year and a half, will join Oliver and I for the adventure. The trip is still months away, but a girl can day dream, right? I'll also be using my day dreams as recipe inspiration until I can taste the real deal.

This salad is not Italian, but it has tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar, which is most of the way there, right? ;) It's also a fantastic summery break from the surprise spring snow storm we just got (Ugh!).

Italian or not, what makes this salad so good? The answer is easy: the tomatoes are marinaded in a bold dressing that is tart and sweet until their natural flavors are amplified. To turn this into a proper salad, you can spoon the marinaded tomato mixture over a bed of lettuce (my favorite these days is butter head or buttercup).

From the spoon or from a plate, Salude! Here's to the near future, and all of the fun it holds.

Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad

Published May 11, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4 | Active Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

6 large leaves of lettuce (my favorite variety is butter head, but anything will work)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half (cherry tomatoes in various colors make this salad gorgeous, but it’s not necessary)

1 cucumber, sliced thin

1/4 cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Optional: freshly cracker pepper

Directions:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine lemon juice and zest, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, honey, and minced garlic. Whisk to combine.
Add sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion to vinegar mixture and stir. Set aside for at least 15 minutes so that flavors can intermingle.
To serve: Spread lettuce leaves out in the bottom of a serving bowl or platter. Add fresh basil and parsley to tomato mixture, stirring to incorporate. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomato mixture to the serving dish, and then drizzle any remaining vinegar mixture over the top of the salad. Top with freshly cracker pepper to taste and serve.

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April 08, 2015

Za'atar Roasted Vegetables

April 08, 2015/ Caitlin S

I've been day dreaming of Morocco for years now. Landscapes awash with sand, doorways painted bright turquoise, and dirty street markets flicker through my mind as I doze off. I want to see Morocco. I want to taste the flavors of North African cuisine on my tongue and I want to know what it smells like. While I don't always admit it, I'm a lot like my Dad: he taught me to wander, to see the world. He taught me to embrace "from scratch" recipes, and he showed me world cuisine (Thanks, Dad!).

As you may have gathered in my recent tropical vacation post, when I can't hop a plane, I travel with my tastebuds. While I've been dreaming of Morocco for years (seriously, it's been on the top of my travel wish list for 6 or 7 years), I have yet to make the trip.

In my day dreams I can be more creative than I might be if I knew what traditional Moroccan food actually entailed. It's liberating really--my minds is free to pair traditional spice blends with less traditional produce items. Case in point: Broccoli is actually a Mediterranean vegetable, but it works well (really well) with Za'atar, a toasted, nutty, herbaceous spice blend used in North Africa and Middle Eastern cooking.

You can used ground spices, as directed in the recipe below, or whole spices. If you opt for whole spices, toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a skillet first, and then grind in a mortar and pestle. Finally, add herbs and sesame seeds.

You can buy Za'atar at some grocery stores, but it is actually pretty simple to make. To me, traveling is all about awakening your senses: what you see, what you feel, what you taste, and what you smell. Make your own Za'atar at home. Toasting the spices fills your kitchen with the sweet scent of toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme. It smells like a Moroccan kitchen and, as my Dad might point out: homemade just tastes better.

Za'atar Roasted Vegetables

Published April 5, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4 | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Veggies:

1/2 red onion
1 large sweet potato
1 medium eggplant
1/2 head cauliflower
Generous amount of olive oil
Note: you may also test out other veggies! Try broccoli, summer squash, winter squash, etc.

For the spice blend (Za’atar-inspired):

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Note: classic Za’atar does not include garlic, salt and pepper, but all three really help this recipe taste delicious!

For serving:

1/4 cup minced parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Dice the veggies into equal-sized pieces. Spread out on sheet pan, and drizzle with olive oil, tossing the veggies to coat.
Combine the spices in a small bowl, stirring to incorporate. Then, sprinkle over the vegetables generously.
Place vegetables in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until all of the vegetables are cooked through, and the eggplant and cauliflower is beginning to brown.
Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

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April 01, 2015

Paleo Carrot Cake Coconut Smoothie

April 01, 2015/ Caitlin S

What do you do when you need a "reset"?

Last week, we had a really grey day. It wasn't just cloudy--it actually hailed and snowed before the clouds gave way! It left a heavy feeling on everything: spring's first daffodils sagged to the ground, people moved slowly, and my pep, which often correlates with sunny weather, settled at ho-hum levels.

Often my "reset" button is going for a run. When I'm in a rut, running is like mediation for me. The practice of mediation usually emphasizes not thinking at all, but I struggle with that. The meditative state I find while on a run is different. It's quiet so that I can reflect, but I can't think too hard. Instead my mind just wanders in an unconstrained stream of consciousness.

I love the freedom that comes with running, so when I awoke to that grey, grey day last week, I was sort of bummed. Not only was the cloud cover leaving me feeling "blah," it was keeping me from enjoying springtime on the trail. I needed something to make the morning brighter. The answer: a Paleo Carrot Cake Coconut Smoothie.

The color of this smoothie was enough to get me excited. And then I took a sip, and left that grey-mood on the floor. It was creamy and luscious (thank you, coconut milk!), and bright and fresh (an you too, fresh ginger and pineapple!). I used coconut water, which is great for hydration--this smoothie probably would makes a great post run gulp, but hey--sometimes you wake up to hail and you just have to take life as it comes. Packed with Vitamins A and C, this smoothie is a powerhouse in a glass and totally brightened my week. I hope it can do the same for you!