Pan Fried Halloumi with Lemon and Fresh Herbs

For months now, I have been wanting to try this very simple dish from Donna Hay. God only knows why I waited so long. Making this requires only the simple tasks of pan frying sliced halloumi cheese and picking some cilantro and mint from the garden. A little segmented lemon really brings the flavors together. Please don't skip this part!

If you haven't cooked with halloumi before, you can thank me later for bringing this incredibly tasty and versatile ingredient into your life. You'll wonder how you made it this long without it. And speaking of long, halloumi has been around for centuries...literally. Since the Medieval Byzantine period, where it originated in Cyprus, this cheese has been popular in Greece and the Middle East. Made from both goats' and sheep milk, it's somewhere between a fresh mozzarella and a salty firm feta. What makes it extra special is it's high melting point. You can fry it or grill it without it melting and running all over the place. It holds it's shape and browns beautifully AND no oil or butter is needed. It's also wonderful fresh in salads or on sandwiches. I just read that Cypriots eat it with watermelon in the summer. Will have to try this!

                    sliced halloumi cheese
                    small handful fresh mint and cilantro
                    segmented lemon

Pan fry the halloumi slices over medium high heat for about two minutes on each side. Garnish with mint, cilantro, and lemon.


From Donna Hay.

Chili-Grilled Eggplant and Roasted Peppers Dip

This spicy and smoky dip is beautiful on it's own, or as a filling if you want to get creative with what to wrap around it. I came across it while making some Poppy Seed Tartlets that call for it served over a ricotta mixture...and though the tartlets left a bit to be desired, this was the silver lining that made it all worth the effort.

I must warn, however, that it is ill-advised to jump the gun on this if you're not feeling up to brushing, grilling, roasting, peeling, seeding, processing, and slicing. Seriously. The eggplant slices get brushed before grilling, the peppers are roasted and then peeled. It's not exactly quick and easy. This dip is a labor of love. And it gives back.

                    1 lb. eggplant

                    1/4 cup chili oil

                    1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil

                    1/2 tsp. ground cumin

                    salt

                    1 medium red bell pepper

                    1 medium yellow bell pepper

                    1 small clove garlic

                    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the grill to medium. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch-thick slices and put the slices on a baking sheet. Stir the chili oil and the 1/4 cup olive oil together in a small bowl. Lightly brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil mixture and dust with a little ground cumin and salt.

Place the eggplant and peppers on the grill. Roast the eggplant until soft and well marked by the grill, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill to cool. Roast the peppers until black on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool. Peel the black skin off the peppers and then stem, derib, and take out the seeds. Put the eggplant slices, the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil, half of each of the roasted peppers, garlic, and a little salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until chunky, 5-10 seconds. Remove from the bowl and season with more salt if desired.

Cut the remaining roasted peppers into julienne strips and toss with the balsamic vinegar. Garnish the eggplant mixture with the julienned balsamic peppers. Store in the refrigerator covered for up to one week.

From Mary Cech, Savory Baking.

Late Morning Tartine

With James in one arm, I casually made this stunning snack without any intention of blogging about or photographing it. Then I stood there for a moment, taking in it's beauty and thought it would be criminal not to post this delightful little piece of heaven. I make variations of this all the time...the basic vehicle is a Wasa cracker spread with cream cheese. Then I have a look around and decide what to throw on top. Usually it's avocado sprinkled with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, sometimes it's thinly sliced apples, in which case I opt for brie (instead of cream cheese) and drizzle a little honey over the top. Today, it was dried cherries and mint, inspired by a compelling little recipe I adapted from my newest cookbook, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, by Jeanne Kelley. Kelley uses toasted whole grain bread with ricotta, which also sounds fantastic. I am loving her book for many reasons, one of which is the fact that she uses mint everywhere, and I currently have two mint plants on my kitchen sill that look at me auspiciously every time I go near them. (Really, they do!)

          1 Wasa cracker (I like the "Fiber")

          enough whipped cream cheese to spread

          4-6 dried cherries

          4-6 small mint leaves

          honey for drizzling

Simple, lovely, tasty. 

Adapted from Jeanne Kelley, Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas with Agave and Rosemary

A roasted chickpea craze is sweeping the nation, everyone. Actually, it has been for about a year. I can't turn around without bumping into another recipe for these in the world of food online. If you don't believe me, please click on this: (more ways to prepare roasted chickpeas). Here you will find no less than 15 flavor combinations to choose from. I'm not kidding. 

My parents' neighbor, the very talented Marika Felactu, brings them the most delicious spiced nuts. I have tried both her pecans and cashews. When my mom had them out last weekend during our visit, I had to have the recipe. Marika uses butter, brown sugar or maple syrup, rosemary and cayenne and was kind enough to email instructions over. I decided to fuse the two ideas. 

I omitted the butter and substituted olive oil, and also swapped the sugar/maple for agave nectar. These are a super healthy, tasty, and addictive snack to have around. But remember that they are beans, after all. So it's probably wise to control yourself.  :)

                   1 lb. dried chickpeas

                   2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

                   1/2 teaspoon salt

                   1 tablespoon agave nectar

                   2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

                   1-2 teaspoons cayenne (depending on your taste)

                   

Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover by 3 inches overnight or for at least 8 hours. You can also use canned, in which case skip this step altogether and jump right in.

Toss them with the salt and 1/2 tablespoon of the oil, and toast at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until golden and crunchy (try one). Set them aside.

When the chickpeas are almost done toasting, warm the rest of the oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add the agave and swirl around to combine. Add the rosemary and sautee until fragrant for a couple of minutes. Lastly, add the cayenne and combine well.

Allow the chickpeas to cool, and then put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Pour the oil mixture over and toss well. Add salt to taste. Store in an airtight container.

Adapted from recipes by thekitchn.com and Marika Felactu.

Kale Chips

 

I've been reading the hype about "kale chips" on foodie sites and blogs for a while and decided it was time to try it when Dan came home with two bunches of kale on Monday night, not one. I mean it was obvious, right? Clearly, the time to make the kale chips had arrived...... "Okay, universe! I get it!"

I am so thrilled with these. They were extremely quick, easy, and truly delicious. We ate the whole batch while making dinner. Silly me for thinking they'd be a healthy snack to have around for today. Call me insane, but I can honestly say that I would rather munch on these than potato chips. I'm not kidding. They are light, thin, crispy, and delightful. I think I could eat them every day. And no guilt! Someone pinch me.

After tearing the kale leaves into bite sized pieces, I tossed them with some olive oil and salt, the way I would a salad but with a little more oil (and salt!). Then I transferred them to a baking sheet and popped them in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350, checking a couple of times and stirring to even the crisping. Many of the recipes out there suggest drizzling the oil over the kale on the baking sheet. I thought tossing would make for a better chip.

Please. Try these.