sesame-crusted feta and fig sandwiches

When school starts, I consider it fall. No matter that the high reaches 90 degrees most days and I can still get good tomatoes at the farmer's market; I'm ready for it to be sweater weather (and stay that way--I can pass on winter, thank you). Today, Labor Day, marks the "official" end of summer, and it's a bit cooler and rainy and at least it LOOKS like fall outside, so I made a decidedly autumnal sandwich for lunch. And it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had...which is saying a lot, since anything on bread pretty much qualifies as my favorite food.

This is a bit more labor-intensive than a ham and cheese on wheat, but the extra effort pays off. The nuttiness of sesame seeds plays off the sharp tang of feta, and the figs' already considerable sweetness deepens with a quick toss in a saute pan and a drizzle of honey. The bread is almost secondary, but a nice hearty whole-grain works well (I used Whole Food's Seeduction bread, one of my favorites despite the name). Now that I think of it, though, this recipe might work even better as a salad, on a bed of arugula perhaps.

sesame-crusted feta and fig sandwiches
adapted from serious eats
serves two

ingredients:
4 oz. block feta
1 tbsp butter
4 figs, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp honey
4 slices of hearty bread

instructions:
Slice feta into approximately 1/4" slices and place on a plate in the freezer to harden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbly, 2-3 minutes. Add figs and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine sesame seeds, coriander, and red pepper on a medium plate. Remove feta from freezer, dip each slice in egg and coat all sides evenly with sesame seed mixture.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Saute feta until golden on both sides, turning carefully with tongs, a minute or two per side. Remove from heat.

Top each slice of bread with feta and figs, season with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with honey.

my favorite potato salad

 I love the word "salad"; it can cover a multitude of sins. Especially in the South, where salads usually involve something creamy--mayonnaise, cream cheese, even cool whip--they are often much less healthy than they sound. I won't say I'm above such mayo-laden delicacies as grape or broccoli salad, but sometimes I want something a little more complex and a little less heart-stopping. Earlier this summer my mom asked me to make some potato salad for dinner at the beach, and based on a recipe I liked and what we had in the fridge, I came up with the recipe below. It's creamy, yes, and I don't know that I would call it health food, but it's more than potatoes+mayo+celery, and it is absolutely delicious warm or cold.

my favorite potato salad
adapted from food52
serves 4-6

ingredients:
10 or so medium red-skinned potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut in half
Olive oil and kosher salt, for roasting
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/4 c mayo
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion or 1/4 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
A few shakes Tabasco
1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes with olive oil and kosher salt, and roast until cooked through and golden brown on the bottom (40-45 minutes). Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl to make the dressing. When potatoes are done and you're ready to serve the salad, cut them into bite-sized pieces and toss with the dressing. Don't do this until you're ready to serve the salad (warm or cold is fine), since the potatoes soak up the dressing pretty quickly.

P.S. - I made a much larger batch of this for a meal we served this week at The Nashville Food Project, alongside pulled pork, maque choux, and banana blueberry cake. It's not up yet, but in the next few days they will have the recipe for maque choux on their website feature Cook for a Crowd. Check it out!

beets: a love(/hate) story

I always think I love beets. They make any dish more beautiful with their deep magenta color and jewel-like sheen. But when I'm honest with myself, I realize that beets are my food version of a "small dose" friend:  fun with a group for a night out, but too much of them and I want to gag. (Sorry if that's a little too graphic and/or mean; I promise no one who is reading this falls into that category of friend!)

just look at them...anyone would be tempted!

So, of course I bought a giant bunch of beets at the market on Saturday, and now I have to eat all of them. Last night I roasted a few, and I'm looking for different things to do with them that aren't totally beet-centric. Today for lunch I made this sandwich, and it was everything I could ask for:  crunchy and melty, sweet and savory, comforting and refreshing.

So, if you find yourself with an extra beet or six, give it a shot.

open-faced beet and brie melt
serves one, but is easily multiplied
no nutrition facts for this one...it's too imprecise.

ingredients:
hard roll, or sandwich-sized
   section of baguette
1 small beet, roasted*
1 ounce brie
a few toasted chopped
   walnuts
1 leaf lettuce
a few leaves of fresh basil
red wine vinegar, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

instructions:
Set broiler on high. Cut roll in half and beets and brie into thin slices. Top each half of roll with beets and brie, and broil until cheese is melted and brown in spots. Remove from oven and top with walnuts, lettuce, basil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Tell me this isn't delicious, whether you love beets or not.

* I like to peel my beets when they're raw, wrap them individually in foil, and roast them in a 425-degree oven. Depending on their size, it takes 45-60 minutes to get them to fork-tender stage.

Farmers market stir-fry

One of my favorite things about living near my office is coming home for lunch every day. It only takes me about five minutes to walk to my apartment from work, so I have 50 minutes of preparation + eating time at my disposal each day. Yes, I know...I am the luckiest person in the world.

Unfortunately, I often underestimate the amount of time it will take me to prepare a dish (tip:  do not lug out your food processor on your lunch break). I have found one method, though, that never takes me over my time limit:  stir-frying. It's quick, can be made healthy quite easily, and is a suitable cooking method for almost any food. Case-in-point: this particular stir-fry took me all of 40 minutes to prepare, photograph, and eat. And it was delicious!

My farmers market loot from last weekend

This recipe incorporates almost all the vegetables I bought at Charleston's farmers market last weekend. You can use any produce that's in season and whatever protein you want. If at all possible, don't omit the pickled vegetables; their sweet acidity contributes an important layer of flavor to the dish. I originally made them as part of this banh mi recipe, which I highly recommend.

farmers market stir-fry
serves one
per serving (as written):  283.6 cal, 7.3g fat, 46.7g carb, 7.4g fiber, 13.5g protein, 8+ weight watchers (unless you enter each ingredient separately...then it's only 6!)

ingredients:

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sliver fresh ginger, minced

kernels from 1 ear of corn

2 radishes, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 scallion, sliced

8 medium shrimp

about 1 tsp soy sauce

about 1 tbsp rice vinegar

sriracha to taste

diced fresh jalapeno to taste

about 1/4 c pickled carrots and radishes (recipe below)

instructions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add ingredients from garlic to white part of scallion. If you're using a slower-cooking protein then shrimp, add that as well. Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring and tossing with abandon (that's the fun part, until you toss a little too enthusiastically and send corn kernels flying all over the place).

Add shrimp if using. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha, and stir to coat mixture evenly. Cook a minute or two longer, until all liquid has dissolved. Empty into a large bowl, cover with rest of sliced scallions, jalapenos, and pickled vegetables. Enjoy your lunch (or dinner, or late-night snack, or maybe even breakfast)!

pickled carrots and radishes
adapted from food52
makes about 1.5 c

ingredients:
1/4 lb carrots, julienned
1/4 lb radishes, sliced thin
1/2 c water
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar

instructions:
Mix all ingredients together. Let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour or as long as overnight. I used mine up in about three days, but they would have kept longer.