Sweet Mustard Shrimp on Skewers

Cold shrimp makes for a great summer lunch.  However, most people associate cold shrimp with shrimp cocktail. I like shrimp cocktail, but it's overplayed.

My mom makes a great cold shrimp dish that beats the hell out of shrimp cocktail. Combine 1/2 cup Dijon, 2 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp toasted mustard seeds,  1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp dill, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice, 6 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 tbsp finely chopped red onions. Toss with 2 pounds of cooked shrimp. Marinate for a minimum of two hours or overnight.

Eat with your fingers or serve on skewers. We had this over the 4th and it was the only thing that cheered me up in the 100 degree heat with a newborn and a terrible parade!

DIY Lobster Roll

I have two rules when I go out to eat. I don't order anything I could make myself  (roast chicken) or easily buy for half the price (cheese plate). I try to order dishes like soup dumplings, slow roasted anything or Indian dosas. For years, however, I have been ordering lobster rolls despite the simplicity of the recipe and how overpriced they tend to be.

This weekend Ryan and I changed that trend. Whenever he is up at my parents, he insists on getting his fill of seafood. (If it were up to me I would raid their freezer and spend a week eating Stouffer's chipped beef.) On Sunday we wanted to treat my parents to a special dinner to thank them for the help with the kids. Yes, that's plural. Gulp. Anyways, we bought a pound of lobster meat for $40 and some hot dog rolls for $2 and easily made six hearty lobster rolls. We opted to skip the mayo and instead heated half a stick of butter with a pinch of paprika, oregano and salt. We then tossed the melted butter with lemon and the lobster. Amazing. Take that you $22 NYC lobster roll!

Grated Beet and Carrot Salad with Pistachios and Feta

I love beets. But they are really messy and stain absolutely everything they come into contact with. They ruin clothes, manicures, dish towels and everything else in a 10 foot radius. The best way to cook with them is to be stark naked…which may not be ideal for a dinner party, but it’s perfect for the mom on maternity leave who is nursing 24/7.

Raw vegetables scream summer. This simple salad consists of raw beets and carrots mixed with a bit of arugula or other greens, nuts and some feta. I have also made it with a dollop of hummus instead of feta. Dress with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. I used white balsamic which is my new favorite.

I didn’t ruin any of my clothes this time around but Annecy’s white onsies now have what look like bloody finger prints all over them. Creepy. But it’s a really good salad!

Tunisian Fish Cakes with Lemon and Paprika Aïoli

Annecy has arrived. Cooking has not come to a total standstill like it did with Xavier’s arrival, but meals have been very basic these past two weeks. Theo swooped in last night to liven things up with Tunisian fish cakes. Armed with bushels of cilantro and parsley, lemons and fresh fish, he quite quickly whipped up about 30 fish cakes.

Initially I was nervous about fish cakes for multiple reasons that stem from my deep-rooted suspicion of all seafood besides the harmless (and dull) white filet. This is a result of growing up with a father who ate oily, stinky bluefish for breakfast.  Additionally, anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows that fish cakes are often made out of fish that needs to get used up quickly. Making something into a cake with lots of spices and herbs can hide fish that has passed its prime. Recipes with ‘fish’ in the title as opposed to a specific kind of fish also freak me out. For example, fish stew sounds less appealing to me than roasted halibut. And finally, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of fish in my food processor.

BUT, I trust Theo completely where food is concerned. This is a guy who has brought me fresh za’atar after all. And my fears were unwarranted. These were delicious.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tunisian-Fish-Cakes-with-Lemon-and-Paprika-Aioli-107907?mbid=ipapp

Thank you Theo. Anybody else want to cook us dinner? ;)

Braised Eggplant, Pork and Enoki Mushrooms

I always enjoy eggplant in stir fry dishes but when I make it myself, it's always a bit chewy and underdone. I was recently drawn to this Mark Bittman recipe in the New York Times since braising the eggplant guarantees it will cook through.

It's a very easy weeknight recipe that involves minimal chopping and a short cooking time. The eggplant requires no preparation besides cutting it and enoki mushrooms tend to be easy to clean and pull apart.

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014735/Braised-Eggplant-Pork-and-Mushrooms.html

Lamb, Grated Beets and Millet Meatballs

If you only own a few cookbooks, which I do, Nigel Slater's Tender should be one of them. It's not a vegetarian cookbook, but it's organized by vegetable. So if you have a vegetable, you can just look in the table of contents for dozens of recipe ideas. It's awesome.

Also awesome is his recipe for beet and lamb meatballs. It's a fantastic way to lighten and sweeten the ground lamb while packing in the nutrition found in beets. I followed his recipe fairly closely but substituted millet for the cracked wheat and cilantro for parsley.

Mix together approximately 14 ounces of ground lamb and 10 ounces of grated beets. Add one grated onion, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 3 tablespoons of herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro or whatever sounds good to you). Add approximately half a cup of cracked wheat or millet. Mix it all together with salt and pepper. Form into around 16 small patties and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly fry each meatball on each side until brown and then transfer to a baking sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes in the oven. You'll have to try one to see if they are done as they stay a gorgeous color red even when cooked.
                                                    

Chickpea Flour Fritters with Spinach, Red Onion and Potatoes

I have been having fritter envy lately. It started with Smitten Kitchen’s post about cauliflower and feta fritters with pomegranate that people have been raving about lately. They look awesome! Unfortunately, most fritters contain the still-banned flour, eggs, cheese or all of the above. Sigh. Refusing to give up, I did a bit of research and…Indian pakoras to the rescue!

http://fortheloveofyum.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/pakoras-chickpea-flour-fritters-with-spinach-red-onion-and-potatoes/

These fried snacks are made with very thinly sliced red onions and potatoes, spinach and are packed with fresh spices. They hold together well and are easy to flip…especially if you are liberal with the oil. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that chickpea flour is the solution to all the world’s problems…or at least my cravings!