Tailored Tuesdays

Those pants would look horrific on me, but I love them regardless. 

Granny Smith & Gouda Salad

You know, sometimes you give and you give and you get nothing back. I've come to accept that it's just a part of life. You've heard of that anecdote, "Life's not fair," right? Well, it's true. Sometimes life can hand you a bucket full of sunshine and other times you want to stuff yourself into a closet and never come out. Yeast makes me feel that way sometimes...

The last couple months, with all the free time I've been having, I wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge: yeast (well maybe not a bit, more like a mound). First, it was Jim Lahey's groundbreaking no-knead bread. Did I mention I met the guy while at his bakery in New York? Yep, it was amazing and he was incredibly kind and witty. Even though the bread was incredibly easy, I still managed to mangle it a little by over baking it. Hmph!

Next, it was lion house rolls. Upon first meeting, it charmed me with its warm buttery bliss. But, the next day it dried out like a river in the summer. Dry, dry, dry. Tears were shed. Anywho, then it was on to this epic 7 grain bread that received more than merry reviews from the plenty of folk at Allrecipes. It came out beautifully yeasted, nice and toasty brown on top but the flavor was less than satisfactory. After all this... I have come to the conclusion that yeast and I are not friends. No siree. 

After all of that mess, I've decided to take a break from yeast for a while. It was necessary. During this break, whaddaya know? Life brought me something delicious, addicting and all kinds of good. The dressing is my favorite part; slightly tangy and just a bit creamy. This salad is filled to the brim, but don't let the crowd of ingredients scare you! They all fit together wonderfully. 

It was funny, as I was shooting the salad, I noticed so many other things in my garden that exhibited the same color palette as the salad. It was awesome. Please enjoy!

Granny Smith & Gouda Salad
Yields: about 4 - 6 servings
Original recipe here.


For the green apple vinaigrette:
1/2 Granny Smith apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsn. Dijon mustard
3 tbsn. honey
3 tbsn. minced shallot
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup vegetable oil


For the salad:
8 oz. smoked gouda, cut into matchsticks or cubed

1 large granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

1 red delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally 

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 cup candied walnuts
10 oz. fresh baby spinach (I used baby greens), about 8 lightly packed cups
salt and pepper, to taste
*smoked turkey can be added for a heartier salad


To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor and whiz until well combined. With the food processor still running, slowly drizzle in the oil until slightly emulsified and combined, set aside in the refrigerator until use. To make the salad, toss the gouda, green apple, celery and onion in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat lighly. Toss the spinach in another large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat lightly. Season the spinach to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach on top of each plate. Top with some of the gouda-green apple mixture, then sprinkle with some tomatoes and walnuts. Lastly, arrange the red apple slices around the salad and serve.

Hawaii | 2011

My trip to Hawaii was full of good eats, as you probably already saw!

But...

it was also full of gorgeousness. Here's my photodiary of the trip:

Leaving Los Angeles and being in the midst of dreamy clouds:

Hawaii in a nutshell: palm trees and calm ocean.

Chinatown!

The Dole Plantation garden was like fruit heaven!

Trees from the Dole Plantation looked like abstract paintings; love!

Sunsets: my favorite time of the day.

The view from the Makapu'u lighthouse:

The most perfect sunny day!

Even the birds are friendlier here! They come right up to you and aren't scared at all.

Hanauma Bay:

Hawaii had the most gorgeous foilage ever!

I heart red toes on glittery sand!

This photo is probably one of my favorites from the trip. It's understated but there's this wonder to it! It came be mistake too - I didn't even see the spider web when I took the shot but magically the light allowed it to appear. Awesomeness.

Goodbye Hanauma Bay, my love!

An early morning hike to Koko Head - the most challenging hike I've ever done! But sooo worth it :)

Oh hey Hanauma Bay! Nice to see you again! (The views from Koko Head)

Another morning hike to Manoa Falls, literally it's like you're in the jungle!

Greeted by jungle friends! Who knew cats grew wild in the Hawaiian jungle?

And chicken too! Baby chickees!

That's me, climbing a tree. You know, the usual.

The ocean: vast and expanse.

One of my favorite plants, at the top of Diamond Head. 

Having a wee bit of fun in the tunnels of Diamond Head. 

Till next time, Hawaii!

How to Enjoy Mujaddara:

So… there's this thing I'm obsessed with. Most of the time, obsessions are unhealthy - riddled with heartbreak, non-sensical daydreams and horrible time management. Thankfully though, this time at least, I'm obsessed with something that's quite good for me… whew!

I'd like to introduce you to mujaddara aka moujadara aka mejadra aka megadarra aka it goes on and on! This little thing has a boat load of names but really, it's not as complicated as it makes itself seem. Mujaddara (the way I like to spell it) is a simple mixture of green lentils, rice and caramelized onions and it is, by far, one of the most delicious things I've come across. If you're unfamiliar with it, I can't stress enough how much I want you, wait, no - strike that - NEED you, to try this! I even left you here with three delicious ways to eat it - so you don't even have to think at all. Just let your body do all the work and your stomach do the enjoying!

{The recipe}

Mujaddara

Yields: about 8 - 10 servings

Original recipe from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

5 3/4 cups water

2 cups dried green lentils

6 tbsn. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 cups long-grain white rice

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are deep golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes; set aside. Combine the water and lentils in a heavy large saucepan. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the lentils are almost tender, but still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, add the rice, salt and pepper. Cover and bring the cooking liquid to a boil again over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice and lentils are tender and the cooking liquid is absorbed (do not stir the mixture as it cooks), about 20 minutes. If some water remains unabsorbed, rem the saucepan from the heat and let it stand uncovered for 5 minutes. Fold the caramelized onions into the pilaf. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. I}

This Moroccan salmon salad is divine. It's inspired by a salad from a restaurant called Zov's in Tustin and it's the most ingenious use of mujaddara I've seen to date. Take a moment to think about it: warm, comforting rice pilaf under a bed of fresh mixed greens in a tangy but sweet vinaigrette with bites of brine-y feta, juicy tomatoes and tender, spiced salmon. Yeah... I think that about sums that up.

The essential components:

Moroccan Salmon Salad

Yields: 4 servings

Inspired by a salad from Zov's: Cafe & Bakery in Tustin, California.

For the salad:

4 salmon filets, washed and patted dry

4 tsp. Moroccan spices (recipe below)*

10 cups of mixed baby greens

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 cup crumbled French feta cheese

2 cups cooked mujaddarah (recipe above)

For the balsamic vinaigrette (this will make more than needed for the salad):

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsn. Dijon mustard

2 tbsn. finely chopped shallots

2 tbsn. pure maple syrup

1 tbsn. pomegranate molasses

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

To make the vinaigrette, blend the balsamic, vinegar, rice vinegar, garlic, mustard, shallots, maple syrup, molasses, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. With the machine running, gradually pour the oil in a thin stream until emulsified. Should keep for 3 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Rub each salmon filet in 1 tsp. of Moroccan spice rub (or alternatively, you can do what I did below). Sear the filets on each side till cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes on each side; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the mixed greens, feta cheese and diced tomato. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. Lay out 4 serving plates. Top each plate with 1/2 cup of warm mujaddara. Divide the salad among the four plates, then top each with a salmon filet. Enjoy!

* If you don't want to make the Moroccan spice mix, you can just sprinkle each salmon filet with a pinch of each spice listed below, which is what I did because I was too lazy to make the spice mix. 

Moroccan Spices

Yields: 3/4 cup

Original recipe from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

3 tbsn. paprika

2 tbsn. dried thyme

2 tbsn. ground cumin

1 tbsn. ground nutmeg

1 tbsn. ground black pepper

1 tbsn. ground ginger

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. ground allspice

Stir all the ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Transfer to a jar and seal with a lid. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. II}

When I saw this recipe, I wanted to make it immediately. Then I had this thought that popped into my head, it literally was one of those 'lightbulb' moments where you realize something so great your ego, not your head, seems to glow. I decided instead of stuffing the mushrooms with rice, such as in the recipe, I'd stuff it with mujaddara! Why not? Since it already is lovely with feta, I'd knew the combination would work and be even more lovely... and can I say, it was quite lovely. The perfect appetizer or it would make a great lunch on top of some baby greens.

Mujaddara & Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

Yields: 4 servings, as a side

Adapted from here.

12 large cremini mushrooms

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 cup mujaddara (recipe above)

3 tbsn. feta

1 garlic clove

2 tbsn. parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the mujaddara, feta, garlic, parsley in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside. Remove all the stems from the mushrooms, discard and save and add to another meal some other day. Place the mushrooms, stem side down on  baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Place the mushrooms, stem side down in the oven about 4" from the top for 2 - 3 minutes. When they are done, flip them over, fill with the rice mixture and broil until the filling is hot, about 2 minutes. 

{How to eat Mujaddara Pt. III}

This recipe was inspired by one of my new favorite blogs, Cooking After Five. I stumbled upon it the other day, and I'm in love! The recipes, the photos, everything was right up my alley! Anyways I've been looking for new ways to eat my mujaddara and I had never seen it the way Nicole from Cooking After Five eats it here. Since I already had some herbed lebni in my fridge, I decided to play around with that and this is what I came up with. It's tangy, comforting and delicious, especially with the crunch from the slivered almonds. I simply love slivered almonds... add them to anything, and it will instantly be more delicious. Promise.

Mujaddara with Herb-Lebni Sauce

mujaddara (recipe above)

herbed lebni

1 lemon, juiced

slivered almonds, toasted

To make the herb-lebni sauce, add the lemon juice to the lebni sauce to thin it out. Add some water to thin it out some more, to the consistency of a hollandaise sauce. Serve drizzled on top of the mujaddarah with some toasted, slivered almonds. 

Tailored Tuesdays

Oh hey neutrals!

Zov's Oatmeal Brûlée

Ya'll know how I love my baked oatmeal. For the longest time ever, I've been a self-proclaimed lover of the stuff (just check my recipe index). I guess all of those bad experiences with gooey, syrupy packaged oatmeals turned me off thin oatmeal. Baked oatmeal on the other hand, has this hearty texture which I love, but, after trying this oatmeal, I can now say I love all the textures that oatmeal has to offer - as long as it's homemade!

This oatmeal has a thinner consistency but is still perfectly hearty. It's unbelievably creamy and I love how the only sugar in it is actually on top of it - in the brulee! That way, you can control how much sugar you want depending on how you're feeling: decadent or healthful. Either way, the brulee is a delicious touch that you should not skip!

Zov's Oatmeal Brûlée

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe from Simple Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist.

5 cups 2% milk

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup golden raisins

4 tbsn. coarse turbinado sugar

1/2 cup mixed berries

In a large sauce pot, combine the milk, oats and salt and heat over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the raisins and cinnamon and continue to cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until the milk is mostly absorbed and the oats are tender. If the mixture is too dry for you, you can add more milk to your preference. Divide the oatmeal among 4 bowls, then top each bowl with 1 tbsn. of the coarse sugar. Using a blow torch or your oven's broil setting, caramelize the sugar until it creates a crispy shell. Top with fresh berries and enjoy!