Food | Beets with Almonds

Summer is here; and I know that I start almost every post with this statement- but I really cannot contain my excitement! Summer is brief around these parts, so I can guarantee you that I am not alone in my enthusiasm. And although my excitement is palpable, I still continue to make soup and root vegetables- I'm mysterious like that; but I will say this, soup is perfect in the summer- rumor even has it, that soup on a hot day cools you down. But that's still a rumor. Despite this claim, soup and root vegetables are ever so winter, conjuring up thoughts of carb loading and heavy meals; but please stay with me, I do have a point.

I love beets- one of the quintessential root vegetables; and all winter I meant to make beets- as magazines and blogs were blowing up with them; but I never managed to get around to the task. There are so many recipes to get through and so few days, it can be terribly overwhelming at times- some recipes slip through the cracks. It really is a shame.

But I resolved not to let them all slip through these unforgiving cracks. So despite it being long overdue and rather unseasonable (a theme these days)- I made beets.



On a sunny afternoon in May, I made beets; and they shone a glorious crimson and tasted so deeply earthy and rich- they were perfect.

Although my love for beets is considerable, beets have gotten a bad rap in some circles; as this is a vegetable that if poorly prepared, suffers tremendously- they end up taking on the flavor of potting soil. And let's not forget about the fact that anything they come in contact with is branded with the characteristic violet that beets are known for. Personally I think the hand staining is half the fun of preparing these little gems- but that can be boiled down to eccentricity. However, no matter your sentiments on staining and regardless of the time of year, this is a go to dish. The beets alone- sauteed with balsamic vinegar- are divine; but because it's summer and the time to celebrate life with indulgence, I added toasted almonds.



Beet with Almonds

4 large beets, trimmed and peeled
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 sprig of cilantro
1/4 cup balsamic oil
1 tbsp salt- for boiling
3/4 tsp salt- for cooking
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Dice the beets in large pieces; and bring 4 cups of water to boil with the beets and 1 tbsp of salt. Cook until a fork can be easily pierced into a beet. Drain and cool. Heat the olive oil in a non stick saute pan on medium high heat. Add the beets and toss for 4 minutes or the beets start to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Toss 1 more minute. Deglaze by adding the balsamic oil. Cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat; add the almonds and garnish with cilantro.

An Homage to May

Seriously where did May go? Winter crawled by at its own, very slow, pace. And now it's June- where the days are longer yet time flies. Ill look at the clock and see 3pm and then look again and it reads 9:30pm. I feel like June 1st was yesterday, and here we are days into it already.

But it's the month of summer; although looking outside my window today, you wouldn't know it. May was fun- it brought with it gorgeous blooms, the outdoor farmers market, bike rides and the dawn of this seasons al fresco dining. So before we bid adieu to may and welcome June with open arms for it's even warmer temperatures and the official start of summer, I thought an homage to May- the month that was- was in order.

May started with me being asked to do a guest post for Wisconsin Cheese. I made pesto macaroni and cheese; and then proceeded to eat a shameful amount of cheesy, pesto-y macaroni and cheese. A great start to the month!



May saw me finally making White Bean and Rosemary dip from Heidi Swanson' s wildly popular cookbook Super Natural Every Day. Heidi of course being the author of the very popular blog 101 cookbooks.



Then I toasted to summer, with a hot bowl of soup- Spicy Carrot Soup to be exact. Crazy they call me. Anyways, despite it being slightly unseasonable, it was absolutely delicious. The recipe was from the cookbook Marie Claire Australia.



And then my camera went to the medic- and has yet to be returned. I miss my camera more than anything. I had a friend lend me hers; but in the meantime I turned to my trusty iPhone and the amazing app Instagram- documenting my rekindled love for Nutella and all around food love. God I love Instagram! If you have it, let's be friends (FoodAndPictures); if you don't have it- get it.



May ended up getting really busy toward the end; with planning a new menu for a restaurant and writing assignments flowing in- I barely had time for blogging. With pictures on my computer, taken with a borrowed camera, I finally got real and posted a recipe- on the very last day of the Month. I like coming in right before the bell. Another carrot recipe, of course. This time Roasted with Ginger and Garlic- what can I say, I love the little guys.



Happy June friends. Off to another great month we go!

Food | Carrots with Ginger and Garlic

Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them
~Author: H. Jackson Brow



Recently I decided that I wanted to start making fresh juices again. My Jack LaLanne juicer had been sitting unused, begging for some attention. Everyday I would say to myself "today is the day I will make juice"- and nothing. I have an uncanny ability to convince myself that "today is the day" when deep down I know that this is not the case.

One Sunday after a Saturday, I was beyond hungover; and since I desire to remain employed I thought that hair of the dog would only wreak havoc on my Monday- so I decide to make juice; a blueberry, carrot and orange juice- as I was convinced that this would kill my hangover. I dragged myself to the grocers to retrieve supplies; came home and set up my juicer- while trying to keep it all together. As an aside, whoever said that eating bread soaks up the booze, is a liar. But that is an aside.



So I went to power on my juicer- so proud that I had done it, I was finally making juice; and nothing. Now some of the outlets in my house are faulty, a by product of the former owners shoddy workmanship- so I deduced that the outlet was bad, and switched to a new one, hopeful that my juicer would power on. And nothing. I could have cried, I was hungover, and by this point I was really looking forward to this juice. After taking apart the whole damn thing, I threw my hands in the air and had a glass of wine- that helped. But here I was with 2 lbs of carrots, a bag of oranges (which I do not ingest unless juiced or smoothied) and blueberries. The blueberries were gone in a matter of days, playing nicely with my morning yogurt; the oranges were eaten by someone, just not me; but the carrots were just looking at me like "Bianca, what about us"?

So I did what anyone in a carrot bind would do, I roasted them- with garlic, cilantro and ginger. The twist- and, oh, what a twist- is that I blanched the carrots in ginger ale; now this may sound like I've gone mad, but hear me out. The ginger ale kisses the carrots with a subtle ginger-y sweetness; and once roasted with the garlic and ginger, this dish goes to the next level. My roommate said they were they best carrots she had ever eaten; and after my juicing fail, I needed a victory.



Carrot with Ginger and Garlic
1 lb carrots
4 large cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger
1/4 cup cilantro
3 cans ginger ale
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In pot bring to boil the ginger ale and 2 cups of water; then plunge the carrots into the boiling mixture. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Dice the ginger and garlic into even little cubes and roughly chop the cilantro. Toss carrots first with the olive; then season with salt and pepper; toss again; then add the ginger, garlic and cilantro; toss again. Place the mix in shallow oven safe dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

****To make this more summer friendly, you could marinate the blanched carrots in cilantro, garlic and ginger for 45 minutes; and then grill them. As my mother would say " there's no need to heat the house".

Pictures | Food Love

Oh man, what a week- after partying away the long weekend, I found myself sick. Self inflicted sickness hurts the worst because I know it could have been avoided. In any case, I found solace in my bed, obviously; but the fact that asparagus is in season and so glorious and plump was slightly comforting to me while I was ailing. Small victories.

Breakfast for dinner. Eggs with proscuitto. Enough said.

And of course Nutella; but this time spread on a cracked black pepper cracker with a decent smattering of brie; and washed down with a nice bold red. I repeat- heavenly.







This weekend will be far more tame than the last. The fact that the forecast calls mostly for rain should help me stay in.

Have a nice weekend friends:)