Sides
Zucchini and Summer Squash Gratin with Herbs de Provence
Yesterday – August 8 – was “National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbors Porch Day.” It sounds like a joke, but think about it. If you have a garden (or know someone who has a garden) chances are you’ve been up to your ears in zucchini and summer squash for a few weeks already. You might be sick of them. And looking for an excuse to sneak some on an innocent neighbor under cover of night. But this gratin might just rekindle your love of the ubiquitous summertime vegetable.
As delicious as my tea-smoked salmon with lavender and honey glaze was (Have you seen it yet? Entered to win some tea?), this gratin held its own. Served together, dinner was an event. I half expected fireworks to go off as I finished my plate. The squash bakes in their own juices until they are soft and delicate. The tomatoes begin to dry from the heat of the oven, leaving them sweet and intensely flavored. The sharp Parmesan and crisp breadcrumbs lend classic comfort. And then, there’s the unexpected. Instead of using italian seasonings, you take a little detour through the south of France thanks to fresh thyme and herbs de Provence (a mixture of savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender).
Sure you may be reluctant to turn your oven on in the height of August. Wait for a rainy day if you must. But I wouldn’t wait. Really, it’s already so hot that having the oven on doesn’t seen to make it any worse. And even if it does, it’s totally worth it.
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Mujaddara: Lebanese Lentils and Rice with Garlic-Lemon Sauce
Don’t let the lackluster appearance of mujaddara fool you — this Lebanese dish is loaded with delicious, aromatic spices that will send you on a mental vacation. One bite will remind you how amazing some of the simplest street-foods can be.
Mujaddara was on my list of things that I wanted to make even before the USA Lentil & Dry Pea people contacted me about creating some recipes. In fact, it’s been on my list ever since the first time I tasted it a few weeks ago. You see, the past few months at work have been a little crazy and I’ve had to put in some long days — working through dinner on several occasions. Luckily, Shawn is awesome and will often save me of having to order pizza or chinese (not that I don’t love those things, but I get sick of them) by bringing me some dinner from the co-ops small, rotating selection of prepared foods. The selection consists mostly of sandwiches, most of which are out of the question since they have mayo on them (ew). So he’ll grab whatever the best looking thing that I’d actually eat is. As you’ve probably guessed by now, one night I was presented with a pita filled with lentils and rice, and a small container of lemon-garlic sauce. I looked at it and wanted to cry. How could this starchy bunch of brown carbs possible taste good? But I was hungry, so I hesitantly took a nibble. And I was blown away. Despite being so starchy, the sandwich was surprisingly light. It was seasoned with cinnamon and coriander — spices that I don’t often experience in savory foods. And the lemon-garlic sauce? It was like a magic potion that brightened the flavor of the whole dish, adding a touch of tartness and a pungent wallop from the garlic.
I devoured that sandwich and knew that I wanted to share the experience with Shawn. So it went on my list. And there it sat for a few weeks, until the Lentil Association gave me the perfect excuse to make it. I’m not sure why I waited so long. And I’m glad I made extra – I’m already looking forward to the leftovers.
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Pea & Herb Stuffed Indian Flatbread (Naan)
Before you run away in fear from a post about bread, let me reassure you: this recipe couldn’t be simpler.
It doesn’t involve yeast.
You don’t need to knead it.
If you have a grill, you don’t even need to turn on your oven.
On top of all that, it’s mouth-wateringly delicious. Beneath a crisp exterior that has been left slightly charred from the grill flames, the bread is soft and pillowy, perfect for wrapping around skewers of grilled meat and vegetables.
At fist glance, it looks like your ordinary flatbread – generic pita or naan. But tucked inside is an amazing paste of creamy peas, fragrant herbs and spices, and a touch of briny feta cheese.
One bite and you’ll be hooked. I’m already planning to make them again, and my head is reeling from the possible filling variations – everything from ground almond and raisins to a traditional Italian pesto. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Still hesitant? What if I told you that, start to finish, this revelation in bread can be made in 90 minutes?
Ok. Fine. If you really don’t want to believe me that this bread is super easy to make – or if you just can’t wait until you have 90 minutes to spare – you can cheat. Make the filling as directed below and stuff it inside a store-bought pita. Spritz with water and grill or broil for 1 to 2 minutes on each side to warm it through.
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Smokey BBQ Baked Lentils, Cedar Plank Salmon
What is it about holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July that necessitate barbecues? Sure Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but our grill has already been going strong for weeks. Still, I felt the need to prepare some sort of traditional backyard fare. Shawn suggested burgers, but that seemed like a waste of a good day off. We can have burgers whenever. I wanted something a little more creative. Something that actually required some thought. I settled on salmon grilled on a cedar plank and BBQ baked lentils.
Yes, that’s right: lentils. I don’t really care for baked beans. They’re too starchy or too soft something. My mom makes what everyone considers pretty awesome baked beans – they’re requested at every family get-together – but I never ate them. When I was little, there was one kind of baked bean that I would eat. They came from a can. They were BBQ. And they contained a melange of various beans rather than simply relying on navy beans. I still remember the day when we stopped being able to find them in the grocery store. It was heartbreaking. This past Easter, we sat down to dinner and I saw that my mom had made her beans. They looked amazing. Plump, succulent beans swimming in a lightly spiced sauce, all capped off by a perfectly crisp layer of meaty bacon. It was the bacon that did me in. Those beans have been in the back on my mind ever since.
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Creamy Potato Salad, Hold the Mayo
There’s a first time for everything: eating rhubarb, making steamed buns, eating cool, creamy potato salad.
Yeah, you read that right. I only recently had my first bite of creamy potato salad. My aversion to mayonnaise (sorry, I know some of you think it’s good, but I find it repulsive!) had always prevented me from enjoying this delicious salad. Until now.
I was flipping through a recent issue of Food+Wine when I saw it. It looked like a normal potato salad. But it used hummus. And yogurt. And, most notably, no mayo. It immediately got added to me “to try” list.
So one night we decided to grill up some burgers, and I knew that it was the perfect time to try this salad (and try out my new eco-friednly plates!). I mixed it up. Easy enough. But I have to confess, it looked so much like the potato salads that I’ve been avoiding all these years that I was a little hesitant to take a bite. Which was ridiculous, since I made the stuff and I knew that there was absolutely no mayonnaise in it.
So I took a small nibble. And it. was. awesome. I mean, we were lucky that there was any left by the time the burgers were done – I couldn’t keep out of it! For those of you who hate mayo, this is a great substitute. Those of you that do eat mayo will enjoy it too – Shawn said that it actually tastes very similar. It’s cool, creamy, slightly tangy. The hummus flavor isn’t nearly as pronounced as you might imagine it would be, And it has a whole lot less fat (about 5 grams of fat in mine, compared to over 20 grams in traditional versions!)
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