Quinoa, Kale, Cranberry, Walnut and Butternut Squash Salad

Quinoa, Kale, Cranberry, Walnut and Butternut Squash Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled, ½ inch dice
1 1/2 cups kale, ribs removed, ½ inch ribbons
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Dijon vinaigrette
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon raspberry jam
¼ cup olive oil

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring the quinoa, ½ teaspoon salt and the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for approximately twenty minutes until the tail of the quinoa unfurls. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and place in a large bowl to cool for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onion and cook until it turns translucent. Add the garlic and butternut squash. Cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat until the squash is tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, Dijon mustard and jam. In a steady, slow stream add the olive oil while whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gently fold the cooked vegetables, quinoa, kale together with the vinaigrette, dried cranberries and walnuts. Serve room temperature or cold.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

In late September, I hosted a Moroccan dinner party for over thirty guests at Cherry Grove Farm in Lawrenceville, NJ. With a three course menu that included chicken and beef from the farm, couscous tossed with dried fruits, nut and orange blossom water and a rice pudding, the recipe I've been asked about most is the carrot salad. For that event, I made preserved lemons to use in the dressing. Those take several days or ideally weeks before they are ready to use. I've modified the recipe, so this dish can be enjoyed anytime the mood strikes you. Which in my case, is pretty often.

This salad is one of my favorites in the cooler months. Incredibly easy to make, yet redolent of spices and citrus, it wakes up the senses on a cool day. I am partial to using the wonderfully sweet, organic carrots grown by Chickadee Creek Farm. I'm always happy to find them at the farmers market. Now as the market season is winding down to the few last weekly markets and a smattering of monthly winter markets, stock up on local carrots. They store very well in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Carrots from the supermarket will yield delicious results, too.

ROASTED CARROT SALAD WITH CINNAMON AND CUMIN
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients for the salad:
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into sticks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspooncinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups mixed salad greens

Ingredients for the dressing:
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cut carrots in single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with spices, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast until tender, about twenty minutes.
Combine honey and lemon juice in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Gently dress the greens with the dressing. Top with the spiced carrots.

SCRAPTACULAR TIP: If you peel the carrots, store the trimmed stem ends and peels in a freezer bag. When I have accumulated two or three gallon sized bags ofvegetable scraps and bones, I make a big batch of stock.

Recipe: The Love Wins Salad

West Windsor Community Farmers Market invited me to stop by and do a cooking demo last Saturday. Beforehand, we chatted about possible dished and we decided on a sweet and spicy slaw perfect for upcoming 4th of July barbecues. I showed up armed with my knives, a bottle of vinegar and some of my favorite seasonings. Then I walked the market to get inspired by the produce of the day.

First I selected a gorgeous, light-green head of cabbage and some garlic scapes from Jeff's Organic Produce. At the North Slope Farm display, my eyes rested on slender carrots and beets in shades of red and gold. Great Road Farm's dark purple kale and shishito peppers also went into my market bag. A jar of Frank's Pickled Peppers were delivered to the demo tent and we were in business.

 I was extremely lucky to have the lovely and talented market volunteer, Kim help me wrangle the food processor and pass out samples. (You are on your own to drum up a kitchen assistant.). The majority of the prep work can be done quickly using a food processor. Cut the rest of the ingredients by hand.

After the demo, my husband and I went and shopped the market. While picking up some gooseberries at the Great Road Farm, the stand staffer Andrea Martin suggested I call the slaw I just made the Love Wins salad as I described its rainbow hues. What a perfect name for this culinary marriage of flavors that was prepared the day after the momentous SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage equality.

Love Wins Salad
Serves one big rainbow family or crowd

Ingredients:
1 green cabbage, cored, cut into wedges
1 bunch purple kale, ribs removed
2 red beets, quartered (tops reserved for another use)
2 golden beets, quartered (tops reserved for another use)
3 small carrots (tops reserved for another use)
6 garlic scapes
3 shishito peppers
1/4 cup bread and butter pickle chips
1/4 cup bread and butter pickle pickle juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg's)
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
hot sauce, to taste
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a food processor fitted with the shredding blade, process all of the cabbage, carrots and beets. This should take a few batches. Transfer shredded veggies a large bowl or two medium bowls.
Remove the ribs from the kale and cut the leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons. Thinly slice the garlic scapes. Cut the peppers in half. Remove the seeds and ribs and slice the peppers thinly. Chop the pickles.
Add all of the chopped vegetables to the shredded vegetables and stir to combine using tongs. Next add salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar, pickle juice, the smoked paprika, celery seeds and a bit of the hot sauce of your choice. Stir to combine and taste. Adjust seasonings.

This slaw can be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to use. Because it is not mayonnaise based, it will stand up to the heat better on the barbecue buffet table. But don't expect it to last long!

Recipe: Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Strawberry fever may go to your head and suddenly find yourself with berries than you know what to do with at the moment. There is a good chance that some at the bottom of the carton will be a little less camera ready than the ones up top. They are still tasty and juicy but not pretty. A gorgeous local berry is a terrible thing to waste. When that happens make a batch of strawberry basil lemonade.  (You can certainly make this recipe with pristine berries, too.)

Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Serves 6

Ingredients:
For the syrup:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced 1/2 inch thick, divided
1/2 cup tightly packed basil leaves, divided
For the lemonade:
4 cups cold water
1 cup lemon juice, chilled
Ice

Directions:
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Add half of the strawberries, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the strawberries have softened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add half the basil leaves, and stir. Cool to room temperature.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Pour the water, lemon juice, and 3/4 cups of the strawberry-basil syrup into apitcher and stir to combine. Add additional strawberry-basil syrup as needed.

Pour over ice and garnish with sliced strawberries and basil leaves.

Dinner & A Dance Party Friday- Asparagus

Tonight's dinner inspiration comes from A Tribe Called Quest. They may start out this song dissing ham and eggs for their high cholesterol content but they soon move on to what they do like to eat - vegetables.

"Asparagus tips look yummy, yummy, yummy," Q-Tip croons knowingly. They sure do. Especially right now. Look for them at the peak of their perfection at a farmers market near you. Last week I picked up several bunches from Viereck Farm at the Westmont Farmers Market in Haddon Twp., N.J.

I knew I wanted to prepare the tender spears in a way that they would simply shine but still bring a festive aspect to our first meal of the season featuring asparagus. After trimming the ends by about an inch, I drizzled them with olive oil. They were seasoned with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. A single Meyer lemon sliced thinly joined them on the baking sheet. After about 12 minutes in a 375 degree oven, they were ready.

Whole crispy fish with roasted asparagus and lemon. - Rachel Weston

Meanwhile, I made  three slits on both sides of a whole dorado. I dusted the fish with salt, pepper and all purpose flour and cooked in until it was golden brown on both sides in about a 1/2 cup olive oil in a cast iron skillet. By the time the asparagus was roasted, the fish was ready.

This dinner was done in  thirty minutes including a side of wild rice and a salad of canned black eyed peas, carrot from Chickadee Creek Farm and a smidge of a spicy jalepeno pickle made by friend Shalini to enliven the flavors.

My book, "New Jersey Fresh: Four Seasons from Farm to Table" has plenty of ideas for simple yet delicious meals like this one. The asparagus chapter includes a story about my first summer after culinary school when I made countless orders of asparagus risotto at Brandl restaurant in Belmar, N.J.  Plus tips for selecting, peeling and trimming asparagus stalks.

Recipe: Quail eggs in Purgatory

With Halloween on the way, I thought I'd share a spooky sounding recipe with you. Although there is nothing scary about cooking these. I love the quail eggs from Griggstown Farm. Sometimes I'll pick them up at H-Mart, too. Chicken or duck eggs can be substituted for the quail eggs, just cook them a bit longer until whites are set.

The purgatory refers to the heat. You can skip it all together or use a few shakes of Tabasco or red pepper flakes. Smoked paprika will add smoke without heat. If you can handle the heat, feel free to add as much spice as you can take.

 Serves 6

Ingredients:

 1- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, preferably a NJ brand like Scalfani or Jersey Fresh

1 chipotle pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp adobo sauce from the chipotle can

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 dozen quail eggs

2 Tbsp grated parmesan or manchego cheese

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

1.    Warm the tomatoes, chipotle, adobo in a sauce pan.

2.    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.    Divide the sauce between six ramekins on a sheet tray.

4.    Use the back of a spoon to create a depression in the sauce. Crack the eggs into the space.

5.    Bake for 8-10 minutes or until whites are set. Yolks will be runny.

6.    Sprinkle with grated cheese.

7.    Serve with crusty bread or crostini.