I don’t put a recipe up on this site unless I think it’s worth making again, but I have to tell you — I love these pickled carrots. They’re fresh and refreshingly crunchy, sweet, sour, salty, with a little kick, and all that and healthy, too! I love to eat them as a quick pre- or post- workout snack, or as a side dish for sandwiches or salad. I even had a few on my way out the door this morning after breakfast. And before I start getting any questions – no, I’m not pregnant; they’re just that good.

Even better than how good they taste is how easy they are to make. Cutting the carrots into pieces is the most time-consuming part, and if you make a big batch, they’ll keep in the fridge for weeks.

If you like these, but aren’t so big on the spices, you might also want to try these marinated carrots from my grandmother Pat. They’re another great refrigerator staple to keep around in the summer.

Spicy Carrot Pickles
These quick pickles are a takeoff on this recipe from Bon Appetit, but with different spices. In terms of the spices, I really just used whatever I found in my cabinet, and encourage you to do the same. I think the carrots, garlic, lemon, and vinegar are about the only things essential for this recipe.

6-8 medium carrots (or about 5 large ones), cut into thin sticks, about 2″ long, or whatever shape you like, such as quarter or coins
peel from one lemon (removed in strips)
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3″ piece of ginger, cut into thin sticks

1 cup water
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes (or more if desired; with 1 teaspoon my pickles had a very mild kick, but the chili flakes I have on hand right now are pretty mild themselves)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Pack carrots, lemon peel, garlic and ginger into a one quart jar.

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices in a microwave safe container. Bring to a boil in the microwave, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Pour the brine and all the spices over the carrots (they should be covered). Let cool, close tightly, and refrigerate at least overnight. Pickles will keep for several weeks in the fridge. However, they will get spicier with time.

I have to tell you about my new favorite salad, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long.  I know it’s getting too hot to turn the oven up to 400 degrees, and if that’s the case where you are, at least promise me you’ll bookmark this and come back to it this fall.  We (or at least I) love this so much that I think I’ve made it at least 6 times in the past two months (including twice the first week I tasted it), and I’m not usually someone to get hooked on one dish and make it over and over again.  

It’s the perfect one dish meal.  It all comes together in about a half hour – there’s just enough time to get everything else together while the cauliflower roasts.  It’s pretty balanced, with plenty of protein from the beans and cheese, so it sticks with you.  But at the same time it’s pretty healthy and tastes very fresh from the lemon juice.  And if cauliflower and fennel are in season (I know, we’re probably getting late for that, but just bookmark it, ok?), then it’s really pretty cheap, too.  So see, what are you waiting for?

My inspiration here was this recipe from The Kitchn, which was in turn inspired by a recipe from Bon Appétit.  I wasn’t sold on raw cauliflower though, so I took essentially the same ingredients but roasted the caulfilower.  I’ve also switched out the cheese for whatever I have on hand, including feta, blue cheese, goat cheese, or parmesan.  It’s all delicious. I’ve also eaten it warm (when it’s fresh, the roasted cauliflower warms up the other ingredients just enough), room temperature, and cold. I usually like it best at whatever temperature it’s at when I’m eating it.

Oh and one last thing – even if you think you don’t like cauliflower, you’ve got to try it roasted.  It’s a totally different thing – it becomes sweet and caramelized and a tad crunchy – delicious!

Cauliflower, Fennel, and White Bean Salad

adapted from The Kitchn

1 large head cauliflower
smoked paprika, optional
3 cloves garlic
1 bulb fennel (plus, optionally, some of the leaves)
1 can white beans
1/2 cup crumbly cheese, such as feta, blue, goat, or even shaved parmesan
1 lemon
a few tablespoons fresh chopped herbs, such as parsley, chives, or thyme
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff if you’ve got it) + more (not the good stuff) for the cauliflower
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
arugula or other greens for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 425 F. Chop florets of cauliflower into pretty small, bite-size pieces (it’ll cook faster the smaller the pieces). Spread on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and, if desired, smoked paprika. Roast at 425 F, giving it a good stir every ten minute or so. When it’s starting to get soft, add 3 cloves of garlic, minced. (If you add the garlic at the beginning, it gets too browned.)

You want the cauliflower to get nice and browned around the edges, which will take about half an hour if it’s in pretty small pieces. That leaves you plenty of time to get the rest of the ingredients ready, make the dressing, and have a glass of wine.

Cut the fennel bulb into very thin slices. I use a mandoline for this and set it to 1/8″ or 1/16″ slices, but if you don’t have one you can use a sharp knife. Place fennel in a large bowl. I usually snip some of the fennel fronds in there, too. Rinse the white beans and add them to the fennel. Crumble the cheese over the beans. Zest the lemon into the bowl, too. Add the chopped herbs, and toss all this gently together.

Prepare the dressing: whisk together 1/3 c olive oil, the juice from the lemon, the red wine vinegar, and the mustard. (The mustard will allow the oil and vinegar/juice to emulsify.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once the cauliflower is roasted and browned, add it to the bowl with the fennel and beans, pour the dressing over, and toss everything together gently. Serve alone, or on a bed of greens.

This is another recipe from the wedding present cookbook I made for my friend Jessica, sent to me by Julia Wade.  A good roast chicken recipe like this is great because it’s delicious but actually pretty simple, and looks much fancier than it is.  And if you add some root vegetables nestled around it like we did, they become wonderfully infused with all the juices from the chicken, and make it a one-pot meal.  Thanks for sharing, Julia!

You might also like:

• Pork Chops Saltimbocca
• Swedish Meatballs

John’s Roasted Chicken
Adapted from Julia Wade

1 roasting chicken, gutted and thoroughly washed
1 onion, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots
8 or so fingerling potatoes
12 or so Brussels sprouts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence (or other combination of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, or lavender)
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Peel carrots and cut into chunks. Halve potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Toss with olive oil, and arrange vegetables around the edge of a roasting pan big enough to hold the chicken.

After washing chicken, pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper inside of chicken generously. Place quartered onion and lemon, along with remaining garlic inside of the chicken cavity. Tie legs together with butcher twine.

Coat outside of chicken with olive oil and rub thoroughly into the skin. Salt and pepper generously. Crush Herbs de Provence to release essential oils, and sprinkle on outside. Nestle chicken among the vegetables.

Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 375 degrees. After another 15 minutes, baste with butter. Baste again with chicken juice from pan every 20 minutes until chicken is done.

Chicken will be done when drumsticks jiggle, and feel ready to separate from the rest of the bird. When done, let bird sit for 10 minutes before carving.

To carve, use a sharp knife and separate wings and thigh from the body. Cut the joint only. Then slice breast and rest of bird. ENJOY!!

Matt and I went in with 2 other couples to share a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box this year. Every week, Blue House Farm delivers a big box of vegetables to Valley Presbyterian, and we get to take some of them home with us. Our subscription started this past spring, and this was the last week. I have loved it since it allowed us to try some vegetables that we aren’t that familiar with, and because it forced us to be a little more creative, while also basically doing our meal planning for us. Instead of starting from scratch trying to come up with menu ideas, each week we’d check out what was in the box, and think about how we could plan our meals for the week around that. The only downside for me is that we didn’t make it to the farmer’s markets as often, since we already had our vegetables, so I do miss that a bit. Overall it’s been a really good experience though, and one I heartily recommend if it’s an option in your area.

If you’ve ever talked to someone with a CSA subscription though, you have almost certainly heard that they get a lot of leafy greens. I love greens, so that’s been fine with me, but I admit it can sometimes be a challenge to come up with new ideas for ways to use them. This recipe for Greens with Coconut Milk and Bacon, adapted from Steamy Kitchen has become a real staple for us this year. It’s apparently based on a Caribbean dish called Callaloo, which Wikipedia says is traditionally made with either amaranth or taro greens. We like it because it’s fast, easy, and delicious, and it can be made with things we usually keep on hand, so it’s great when we don’t know what else to make. Jaden‘s original used kale, but we’ve adapted it for whatever greens arrived in our box that week, including swiss chard, kale, and radish, turnip, and collard greens. And even if the greens are a bit wilty and past their prime, it is no problem in this dish.

The original recipe called for 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth. We did that at first, but lately have been ditching the broth and just using the whole can of coconut milk, so we’re not left with half of an opened can. We’ve sometimes served it, as in the picture, with red beans and rice (I admit, from a box — remember, this is our last minute emergency meal!). But if you make a big pot, it’s really plenty hearty as a one dish meal. Just don’t forget the cornbread!

Greens with Coconut Milk and Bacon

It is pretty much essential to serve this with cornbread, which cooks in about the same time it takes to get this on the table. Or if you’re skipping the cornbread, at least serve it with some kind of bread to soak up all that delicious pot likker.

We usually use the whole can of coconut milk, but you can lighten it up somewhat by using half coconut milk and half broth.

4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1″ pieces
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 or more large bunches leafy greens (e.g. kale, chard, collard greens), at least 8 cups, chopped
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk, or 1 c coconut milk and 1 c vegetable broth

In a large dutch oven or saute pan, cook the bacon until it begins to crisp. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the greens and allow them to cook down for a few minutes, just until you can stir things around again. Stir in the coconut milk (and broth if using) and simmer about 5-10 more minutes, until it thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is another recipe I’m recycling from the cookbook I made for Jessica.  This one is from Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Get Real Meals, a cookbook Jessica had when were in college (that I think I sort of appropriated — oops!). We made it several times when we lived together on Clark Street, and now it’s a last-minute staple for Matt and me. It’s tasty but also very easy. When I took these pictures, I served it with Jessica’s mom’s roasted green beans, so maybe you can guess what’s coming up next?

Swedish Meatballs
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Get Real Meals

1 lb. frozen turkey meatballs
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups beef stock
1 Tablespoon red currant or grape jelly
1 cup heavy cream or sour cream (I almost always use sour cream, but I think Jess used cream)
~3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 lb. wide egg noodles
2 Tablespoons butter
a small handful parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs (still frozen is fine) and brown on all sides.

Add the stock, jelly, cream, and flour. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or a little longer, until the sauce is thickened to your liking.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodle and cook until just tender. Drain the noodles and toss with butter and chopped parsley.

Serve the noodles topped with meatballs and their sauce. (Rachael also says to garnish with chopped gherkins, but we never have.)