Potato Salad w/ Lots of Garlic, Dill and Mustard

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I love all kinds of potato salad. This is a vinegar-y, herby one that I let marinate overnight. I was planning on having it as a cold salad but I had some lemon-infused cheese that was calling out to be used and melted cheese makes everything more exciting so I ended up sauteing it with the cheese.

{3 servings}

  • 1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
  • 5 sprigs dill
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
  • salt/pepper (lemon pepper preferably)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp dijon
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 15 tiny potatoes or 9 normal small fingerlings
  • 1/4 cup hard salty cheese (pecorino or something similar)- optional

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  1. boil potatoes until easily stabbed with a fork
  2. mince garlic
  3. in a bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vin, mustard and garlic. season to taste with salt and pepper
  4. when potatoes are cooled, quarter them or chop (depending on the size of the potatoes you’re using)
  5. pour the vinaigrette over the potatoes and gently stir to cover all potatoes without breaking them up too much
  6. add the capers and chopped dill
  7. marinate overnight
  8. serve cold OR
  9. in a medium sized sauce pan saute the whole concoction over medium high heat and shave cheese over the top
  10. stir occasionally until cheese is melted and potatoes are starting to crisp
  11. serve with fresh dill and lemon zest

(pictured with a spinach salad, lentils and a soft boiled egg)

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Cabbage with Dates, Capers and Salami

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I got this huge head of cabbage at the farmers market last week because it was $1 (basically free). Cabbage is pretty awesome, especially for college students with sporadic schedules and limited funds because it lasts and it’s very cheap. While it’s not the most exciting vegetable out there, it’s versatile and can be quite tasty if you get creative.

  • 1 medium sized head of green cabbage
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 pat butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 medjool dates
  • 2 tbsp capers (w/ juice)
  • generous squirts mustard
  • salt/pepper
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped salami
  1. boil a pot of water and quarter the cabbage
  2. blanch the cabbage for 3 minutes then dunk in an ice bath and drain with paper towels
  3. slice onion kind of thinly and mince garlic and salami (roughly)
  4. in a large skillet add olive oil and butter over medium high heat
  5. when butter melts add the garlic then the onions, let cook down, stirring occasionally, until onions are opaque
  6. slice cabbage roughly
  7. add the salami to the skillet and stir to incorporate
  8. add the cabbage, season with salt, pepper and mustard and cover
  9. let cook down, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until cabbage is soft and it’s becoming soupy
  10. pit and dice dates then add them and the capers and stir to incorporate and take off heat

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Pickled Blueberries with Rosemary

  • 1 pint blueberries
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 3/4 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 4 sprigs rosemary

(from Food52)

  1. bring vinegar, salt, peppercorns and rosemary to a boil in a small saucepan
  2. rinse blueberries and put them in a glass jar
  3. remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool
  4. pour the vinegar concoction over the blueberries, making sure to cover them
  5. let cool then refrigerate, they will keep for one week > or make Pickled Blueberry and Burrata Black Rice

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Pickled Blueberry and Burrata Black Rice

IMG_3090When I saw the recipe for pickled blueberries I thought it sounded interesting and I wanted to try it. But never during the process of buying the ingredients and pickling the blueberries did I think about what I was going to do with such a strange flavor combination. They were very salty but still a little sweet and the rosemary gave them a nice earthiness but they were definitely not something you want to snack on by themselves. They sat in the fridge for a couple of days becoming saltier and saltier while I pondered what to do with them.  Food52 suggested pairing them with ice cream but I’m not much of a sweets person and I am most definitely a cheese person so my mind jumped to a mellow cheese like ricotta or mozzarella.

My mom had picked up this black forbidden rice at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago and we were trying to figure out a recipe to try with that too. I decided to throw them together with some sweet golden raisins and caramelized shallots to balance the saltiness, pistachios for crunch and burrata to pull it all together. Burrata is the king of mellow cheeses in my opinion. If you don’t know what it is, you should go get some and read this.

  • 2 cups forbidden black rice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup roasted pistachios
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 1 pint pickled blueberries drained
  • 1 roasted shallot
  • 1/3 cup chopped pickled onions
  • 1 sack burrata
  1. cover a baking sheet with parchment and roast shallot in skin at 300° for 45 minutes or until skin is golden brown and it’s soft on the inside
  2. cook rice according to directions
  3. let rice cool and move to a large mixing bowl
  4. when shallot is finished, let cool and slice
  5. add raisins, blueberries, onions and the shallot to the bowl of rice and mix
  6. divide the burrata and dollop onto the rice when you’re ready to serve

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Cabbage-Beet Tahini Slaw

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This is my bastardized version of Mission Chinese Food’s beautiful cabbage salad. But hey, sometimes when you’re a college student on a budget you have to pick and choose which exotic pantry items you can afford and which are just going to have to wait. I used peanuts for a crunchy element, although I would love to try it with some sort of grain. I also cut out quite a few ingredients that I couldn’t find at the local market but still thought it came out pretty good.

note: This makes a BIG salad. I wanted to use the whole cabbage in one go so I upped the dressing, the good news is it makes for great leftovers. On the other hand you can always use half a cabbage and dial down the dressing measurements.

  • 1 head red cabbage
  • 1 large yellow beet
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 4 tbsp tahini (you’ll definitely want a runnier tahini for this, the Whole Foods 365 one is my best friend)
  • 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 8 anchovy fillets (preferable ones packed in olive oil)
  • juice of one lemon
  • 2 sheets nori (like the big sushi ones)

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  1. slice cabbage and beets (I did matchstick cuts-see photo) and mince garlic
  2. in a bowl or jar add tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, tamari (or soy sauce) and rice vinegar and shake well
  3. slice the anchovy fillets as finely as possible then add them to the dressing and continue shaking until combined
  4. heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat then add the sesame seeds, make sure to keep an eye on them and continue tossing them
  5. once they start to smell nice and turn a little brown remove them from the pan
  6. in the same pan add the peanuts and do the same thing
  7. rip the nori into little pieces and add it to your big bowl of cabbage and beets, add the nuts and seeds as well then pour dressing over
  8. mix thoroughly with tongs or your hands

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Chard with Anchovy and Crushed Tomato Dressing

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We get a lot of chard in our CSA and I always tend to steam or saute it with some garlic and vinegar or citrus. And that’s always good but this time I wanted to try something different. Chard is full of vitamins and it’s actually better wilted so it is a great vehicle for warm sauces, unlike other daintier leafy greens. Anchovies and capers give this a salty-umami Mediterranean taste and the warm yellow tomatoes balance it with a little sweetness.

  • 1 bunch chard
  • 4 anchovies in olive oil
  • 15 yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lg garlic clove
  • splash red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp capers
  • red chili flakes
  • pepper
  1. slice chard off of ribs then julienne the leaves (long skinny slices), I like to roll together a few pieces then slice them to save time and make them more uniform, put chard in a mixing bowl
  2. drain olive oil from the anchovies and heat it (the oil) over medium heat in a sauce pan
  3. mince the garlic and add it to the pan, once garlic is opaque add anchovies and mash with the back of a fork, add red chili flakes
  4. add capers, tomatoes and red wine vinegar then cover the pan for a minute
  5. uncover the pan once the tomatoes appear to be deflating a bit then carefully squash them with the back of a fork (angle them away so that you don’t squirt yourself or your kitchen with hot tomato juices)
  6. pour the sauce over the chard and cover for a couple minutes until chard is just starting to wilt, then mix it all together, finish with pepper

© 2015 – 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Tahini Roasted Veggies and Beans

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I really love tahini. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a Middle Eastern paste made of ground sesame seeds and it’s delicious. It’s one of the key ingredients in hummus but I really like the roasty flavor it acquires when it is baked. It’s great baked with meat (can you say lamb?!), beans or vegetables.

  • 10 small carrots
  • 12 small brussels (halved)
  •  1 lemon
  • 1 lg garlic clove
  • 2 tbsp tahini (depending on thickness)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp tamari (can substitute soy sauce)
  • 1/4 cup cannelini beans
  • 1 tbsp water
  • olive oil
  • black pepper
  1. in a small bowl mix tahini, tamari, cumin, lemon juice and water
  2. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  3. mince garlic and add to the sauce, juice half of the lemon into the sauce as well
  4. line a baking dish and spread the carrots, beans and brussels in it; drizzle them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with pepper
  5. pour tahini sauce over everything
  6. bake for 20 minutes or until tahini starts turning golden brown and brussels are roasted to your liking

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Sauteed Chard with Dates and Garbanzo Beans

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This was another attempt to use up large amounts of greens before they wilted past the point of no return. I love making warm wilted greens in the winter instead of salads. It’s so much more satisfying and comforting. The combination of sweet dates and savory spiced garbanzo beans adds complexity and takes these healthy greens to a whole new level. If it wasn’t already good enough, another reason to eat chard is its’ plethora of health benefits. It has lots of antioxidants, vitamin C (for immunity), vitamin K (for bone strength), omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron (red blood cell production).

According to “nutrition-and-you.com”, regular inclusion of chard in the diet has been found to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin-A deficiency; and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers

  • 1/2 can garbanzo beans
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 large bunch green chard
  • about 8 cups-worth spinach
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 10 dates
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt pepper
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  1. heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and mince garlic
  2. add garlic to the pan with the cumin paprika and chili flakes
  3. drain garbanzos and add them to the skillet, stirring to coat them in the spices
  4. continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until garbanzos start to brown a little bit
  5. slice chard and spinach and add chard in batches to the skillet, pit and slice dates
  6. in the first batch add the water and cover for 1 minute
  7. then remove cover and add more chard, flipping so that the already cooked greens are on top
  8. continue this process until all of the chard and kale are cooked about evenly, turn the heat down
  9. add the sliced dates and mix in, remove from heat and move to a large mixing bowl
  10. squeeze lemon juice in and mix, adding salt and pepper to taste

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Cabbage Salad

  • 1 large head purple cabbage
  • 1/2 large red onion
  • 1 large grapefruit (juice)
  • 2 large lemons (juice)
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 3 limes (juice)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  1. slice the cabbage and the onion, cutting around bitter white middle of the cabbage and add to a large mixing bowl
  2. juice grapefruit, lemons and limes into the cabbage/onion mixture
  3. add salt and fish sauce and mix well
  4. let sit for 6 hours to overnight or a couple days, it’ll just get better

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Stuffed Poblanos

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

  • 1/2 can pumpkin purée
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 poblanos
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup queso fresco
  • 1 tbsp chili lime seasoning (or substitute 1 tsp cumin and 1 tbsp lime juice)
  1. in a medium skillet, heat olive oil and diced onion over medium high heat
  2. add black beans, pumpkin puree and seasoning
  3. turn heat down to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
  4. pre-heat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet or pan with parchment paper
  5. cut stems out of poblanos and remove centers with seeds
  6. take the bean/pumpkin mixture off heat and mix with queso fresco and cottage cheese
  7. stuff the poblanos with the mixture and put in lined pan or baking sheet
  8. bake for 25 minutes until peppers are starting to blister and cheese is melty

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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