Cucumber, Strawberry and Mint Salad

I hate it when the weather gets to me; I get whiny and out of sorts and uninterested in cooking, which is highly annoying for me and everyone around me. Los Angeles had a heat wave a couple of weeks ago; we hit 110 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the last week of September. It was insane! And I am so ready for Fall food and cooking, so I was doubly grouchy. Fortunately, I was able to snap out of it when my sister brought home some beautiful strawberries.

Fall in Southern California is really a second Spring and the strawberries were gorgeous. But I was in the mood for a salad, not simple fruit snacking. I also had some gorgeous Persian cucumbers and thinking along the Persian line decided to combine the sweet strawberries with some fresh herbs - cilantro and mint - and the crunchy cukes. I had some jalapeno and threw that in, knowing that the sweetness of the berries would offset the heat of the pepper. Superb!

Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

I never thought twice (even once?) about shepherd's pie until I became deli manager at Just Food Co-op and realized that I needed some more options for the hot bar menu. For those of you who have never worked in food prep, steam tables (what keeps a hot bar hot) are hard task-mistresses. Pasta is never good in a hot bar; not only does it sit and overcook for hours but cleaning it will have you cursing every god you can think of and their future progeny. Casseroles, stir frys, and baked items of any sort from any cuisine imaginable, are a hot bar's best friend. Shepherd's pie was a natural.

Ask any British person and they will tell you that shepherd's pie is made with seasoned lamb, topped with mashed potatoes, and only sometimes cheese. Supposedly it originates from its namesake; a one pot meal for shepherds to take up the mountain with their flock. It was a way to use up leftovers from roast leg of lamb and include some vegetables as well.

Pita Pizza - Quattro Stagioni

Pizza is probably my favorite food. I could eat it everyday; with new toppings, new crusts or simply the same thing over and over and over again. I really love it. But sometimes I just want it now, no waiting for dough to rise or defrost. That's when I make lazy pizza, pita pizza.

One of my closet friends introduced me to pita pizza - a South Asian from New Delhi no less! It is truly a life saver when you need a pizza fix. I even love this cold (but then again, I love any pizza cold as well as hot, and warm, and room temperature.... you get the picture.)

Raw Kale Salad with Avocado

I am the first to admit that I am not always as open as I would like to be when it comes to food fads. I can have strong opinions - which I do not force on others by any means - but they usually rule my eating world. Raw food falls into this category and until my sister made me an amazing raw kale salad, I was definitely a skeptic.

I had always thought that kale was one of those vegetables that was meant to be cooked - along with parsnips, potatoes, and the like. Turns out that if you apply the same principles used to "cook" cerviche, it works quite well with kale; the acidity of lemon transforms the kale into a lovely wilted green salad. Who knew!

Seared Ahi Tuna with Cajun Seasoning

A couple of weeks ago when I was vacationing on Block Island my sister made this recipe and unfortunately I didn't get a photo then. Happily we are roommates so when I mentioned how much I loved this dish she made it again! Such a lovely sister!

I know this is one of those dishes that is ubiquitous in all levels of restaurants, but with good reason; it tastes amazing and is so easy and quick to make, it's almost a crime. It is two ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes total from opening the package, to dredging the fish, to cooking, resting and slicing. Fantastic!

Padrone Peppers with Pickled Vegetables

It's Padrone Pepper season again! I wrote about these lovely peppers last year and last week was the first time I had seen them this year so I snatched them up. I knew they wanted a simple preparation but I wanted to add something more. I thought spicy, fried peppers and pickled veggies seemed like a natural combination. Tossing the hot peppers with the Sotto Aceto (below vinegar) vegetables, I got spicy and tart with crunch and savory-ness. Amazing and fun side dish!

Fried Padrone Peppers with Pickled Vegetables

15 padrone peppers
2 cups pickled vegetables
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

In large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add peppers and toss to coat. Cook for 7-10 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes to allow the sides to brown/burn evenly. Remove from heat and salt well and toss with pickled vegetables and serve.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Zucchini and Linguine with Bacon Corn Pesto at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Morning Glory Muffins at Ladyberd's Kitchen
Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade at Closet Cooking