Wild Rice Salad with Cherries

Northern Michigan is my favorite place on earth. There isn’t even a close second. I grew up a few minutes from the beach north of Boston so people thought I was nuts to leave in the summer for the Great Lakes.  How wrong they are!

One of the many wonderful things about this part of the country is that it’s where cherries are grown.  When ‘up north,’ we eat cherries everyday. Cherry pie for breakfast signals summer for me.

When I got back to NYC, I was homesick for spicy Vernors, 10 pm sunsets and cherries. I couldn’t do 

much about the first two but luckily (for a small fortune) it’s cherry season in NYC too.

I made Heidi Swanson’s wild rice salad with cherries and it was a hit. It’s no cherry pie but that’s a breakfast thing anyways.

Combine 3 1/2 cups of cooked wild rice, a few handfuls of greens like spinach or arugula and 2/3 cup toasted walnuts. Make  a cherry vinaigrette by combining ½ cup of cherries, ½ cup olive oil and ¼ cup of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt. Dress the salad (you’ll have leftovers) and then toss in one cup of pitted fresh cherries and top with some crumbled goat cheese.

Nut Milk on Your Doorstep? Only in NYC!

There are a lot of dairy substitutes out there these days – rice, coconut, almond, soy, etc. – but very few of the store bought brands taste that great in my mind and many are chalk full of random gunk. O Milk of Brooklyn to the rescue! They deliver fresh almond and cashew milk to your doorstep weeknights between 7-10pm. They charge $5 for delivery but refuse tips since it’s still the owners driving around dropping off your fresh milk. It’s insanely awesome.

http://www.omilknyc.com/

I got a few of both delivered and froze some to save on the delivery fee for the next few weeks. Says she who just bought a ticket to London in August. Penny wise, pound foolish. Literally.

The almond milk is fantastic for oatmeal, smoothies, coffee or whatever else you would normally use milk in. The cashew milk is a meal in itself. Delicious!

Avocado Smoothie

It's not as weird as it sounds. Avocados have a seed so they are technically a fruit. And my friend Jessica just had a tomato (seeds!) and cucumber (seeds!) smoothie in Belize. And while we are all used to them as guacamole, they lend themselves well to a bit of sweetness. Have an avocado smoothie for breakfast, and you'll actually survive until lunch without a terrible case of the munchies.

Combine one firm avocado with cold almond milk and about one tablespoon of honey or more if you like sweeter smoothies. Toss in some sunflower seeds or other nuts if you like. I prefer to garnish it with some crunchy caramelized sunflower seeds but that is a bit of extra work.

If you like it, awesome. If you don't, go back to your guac. Zzzzzz!

Crunchy Pork-Kimchi Burgers

I'm hoping I don't get in the habit of deep frying, but if these pork-kimchi burgers are any indication of the potential for frying at home, I think I might at least put frying into the rotation.

I saw this recipe in Food and Wine and figured it would be a great way to use up the kimchi chilling in the back of my fridge. I followed the recipe exactly but substituted Greek yogurt for the mayo...you know, to be healthy. Ha!

You basically just combine ground pork, kimchi, ginger, garlic and scallions and then make little patties. Cover them with panko and egg and fry them. Wow. And then serve them with greens. 

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crunchy-pork-kimchi-burgers

Asparagus and Broccolini Salad: A Cure for the post-BBQ blahs

Whenever I think about cooking in the summer, I picture piles of fresh tomatoes from a garden, crisp corn and cilantro salads and grilled fish with a fruity salsa. In actuality, I spend most summer weekends eating tortilla chips, jarred bodega salsa, hot dogs and too much lukewarm Prosecco. When Monday rolls around, I feel this desperate urge to eat giant healthy salads.  

Recently I tried an Asparagus and Broccolini salad that managed to zap away my memories of cheap BBQ snacks. You can use broccoli and almonds instead of broccolini and pine nuts and skip the parmesan for a cheaper version or to use up what you have lying around.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/asparagus-salad-recipe.html

Since there is no lettuce, it makes for good leftovers so you can feel smugly healthy on Tuesday too!

Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas

Every time I cook with cream, I swear to myself that I will cook with it more than I do. It's just plain awesome. I know, I know...fat content, calories, blah blah blah. But every once in a while I encourage you to go for it. I met a man this weekend whose most famous quote is "Have you every just enjoyed a big glass of cream?" If there are people doing that, you can handle a few tablespoons.

One of my favorite spring recipes is Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Gnocchi-with-Spinach-and-Peas-240959

 It's a simple recipe that works with fresh or frozen peas. Simmer one cup of peas with 1/2 cup of cream, a dash of red pepper flakes, and chopped garlic until they are cooked. Add 3 cups of spinach and stir  until they wilt. Take the pan off the heat and add zest from one lemon and a few teaspoons of lemon juice. Toss with Parmesan cheese and a bit of water from the cooked gnocchi.

The best part of cooking with cream is you are bound to have leftovers for indulgent cups of coffee, whipped cream with strawberries or a cream based soup. Or you could just drink it.

Carmelized Tofu on a Brussel Sprout Slaw

Sounds weird, right? So does the Foie Gras Fluffernutter sandwich I mentioned a few weeks ago and that was amazing! I wasn’t up for trying to replicate that over-the-top sandwich, but I have had a craving for salty sweet ever since.

Ironically, this vegetarian tofu recipe hits the same notes. Start by sautéing tofu in a bit of peanut oil. Once it browns up a bit, add two minced garlic cloves and a healthy handful of nuts. After a few minutes, toss in about 3 tablespoons of sugar and stir until it’s dissolved. Remove from heat and mix in some chopped cilantro.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté half a pound of finely sliced brussel sprouts. Once they start to brown nicely, remove and top with the tofu mixture. Sprinkle with salt. Voilà. It’s practically a Foie Gras Fluffernutter sandwich.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/caramelized-tofu-recipe.html