Cauliflower Coconut Soup

I had some leftover cauliflower and baby carrots from a crudite platter and a can of coconut milk in the pantry and thought, why not a Thai inspired soup for lunch on a gorgeous, sunny day? This was super easy and tasted like a bowl of sunshine.

INGREDIENTS
Cauliflower
Carrots
Sliced onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs coconut oil
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
salt to taste
1 can coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
3 dashes Thai fish sauce

Preheat oven to 385 and roast veggies and spices in coconut oil about 40 minutes until tender and slightly carmelized. then in a blender mix veggies with a can of coconut milk, lime juice and fish sauce. Puree until smooth, reheat in a pot and serve in warm bowls garnished with cilantro or scallions.

Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Pistachios & Currants

It reached 106 degrees today but felt like 115! I loath this time of year due to the intense heat that literally shrivels everything in my yard, including our drought tolerant plants. We are in a severe drought after years of brutal summers and scant rain. I literally could move to Seattle right this moment if I didn't love my job and friends and family so much. It's even too hot to grill on the Big Green Egg, and eating meat seems to take up every last reserve of my body trying to digest it, so I've been eating tons of salads while sitting in my pool. This salad is so satisfying and tasty and full of nutritious goodness and is also lovely topped with a nice piece of fresh grilled fish.

 

INGREDIENTS

1.5 Cups Rainbow Quinoa

2.5 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

2 tbs olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely diced

1 medium carrot, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, grated

1/4 cup black currants

1/4 cup pistachios

Juice and zest of two Myer lemons or 1 large lemon

A few dashes of rice wine or sherry vinegar

A few more dashes of olive oil

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

10 mint leaves, chopped

5 basil leaves chopped

1 tbs sea salt or to taste

fresh cracked pepper

 

Rinse and drain quinoa, then in a pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and saute about 5 minutes (this makes the flavor more intense and "nutty"). Then add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile chop all the ingredients. Once cooked, drain any remaining liquid from quinoa and let it cool about 10 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Cool in the fridge an hour before serving. Makes about 5 cups and stores well in the fridge for 4 days.

Roasted Corn Salad with Avocado, Tomato & Black Beans

It's corn season!!! The market had fresh, locally grown corn on sale so I thought it would make a wonderful salad paired with some fresh garden tomatoes and a zesty dressing. Let it "marinate" for an hour in the fridge before serving. It's become one of my summertime favorites.

INGREDIENTS
Soak 3 ears of corn with husks on in water for 30 minutes
1/2 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup jicama, cut into strips
1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, diced and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning
1 handful of cilantro chopped
10 basil leaves, sliced into ribbons (reserve some of the chopped herbs for garnish).
3 tbs crumbled cotija cheese

DRESSING
4 tbs champagne vinegar1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbs dijon mustard
juice of one lime and one small orange plus zest
1 tsp sea salt
(combine all ingredients except oil, then slowly drizzle oil into vinaigrette while whisking until it emulsifies- about 2 minutes).

Roast the corn in their husks over a 400 degree grill about 25 minutes until the kernels burst with sweet milk. Let them cool then remove from the husks. Over a large cutting board, slice the kernels off of the cobs. Mix all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl, drizzle with dressing, pinch some more sea salt and fresh pepper over the salad and leave it in the fridge one hour. Let it rest at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving then garnish with more herbs. I crumbled some cotija cheese over the salad for the perfect little flavor punch. (I omitted the cheese for the salad in the photo as we had a vegan over for lunch that day, but it really takes the salad to another level).

Makes 6 servings