Quinoa Cakes

So Andrew has been bugging me to make more vegetarian dishes, he's not a vegetarian just not a huge fan of meat, but since I'm the carnivor and doing most of the cooking I usually win. But this was a nice little dish that was just fine without any meat. I don't remember where I first saw the recipe for these little patties, but we've done similar things with lentils and brown rice in the past, they're very versatile and you can season however you want and throw anything in them. They are super easy and nutritious, quinoa patties bound with an egg and seasoned with a little paprika and touch of cayenne, and baked til golden brown for a crispy crust and moist filling. Made a little south of the border with black beans and jalepeno, and arugula and radish salad. I enjoyed it for a hearty lunch before I ran off to work, and left Andrew with the remainder for his dinner, with this picture for instructional use.

Summer Corn

Weve had some great corn this summer too, and we've been grilling it, roasting it, and adding it's sweet juicy kernels to many dishes. Here I've pureed the kernels, simmered, and added a touch of marscapone to make a melt in your mouth filling for tortelloni. I also made a stock with the cobs and we had these delicious little pods with the nice hot broth and a grating of parmesan. Of course no pic, too busy eating. I froze the other half and we'll have them later in the week with something grilled, maybe pork tenderloin, we'll have to see.

Market Lunch

With the fiasco of Pride going on below our balcony, Andrew and I decided to stroll down to our neighborhood farmer's market and avoid the crowds. We came home with some bright, sweet cherries, fresh chevre, and herbs and made a delicious lunch. Cherry and green apple salad with frisee, goat cheese, and a champagne lemon vinaigrette, with pan fried chicken scallopini. Paired nicely with our chilled rose and the city view. In our opinion- the best restaurant in town, and the best place to be with the hustle and bustle of the parade beneath.

Mmmm, tomatoes...

We are finally seeing some delicious tomatoes this summer, and here are some of my favorite preparations. It doesn't get much better than a juicy ripe tomato, with a touch of salt and pepper. When I was a kid I remember picking tomatoes from my grandparents garden and biting into them like an apple, with just a sprinkle of salt, and that was blissful. I also remember my grandma violently squeezing the tomatoes at the market when the prices got too high, but that's another story. However, add a bit of grassy olive oil, mozzarella, and basil oil, and magic happens. I like to peel the tomatoes for a more delicate texture. it's about as simple as it gets but never gets old.
Another one of my favorites is the Chef Keller inspired tomato sorbet on tomato tartare with garlic tuile. I'm not a huge fan of the amount of sugar he uses, plus I'm kinda old fashioned and like great ingredients to shine without a lot of tampering. So the sorbet is concentrated with ripe tomato flavor, lightly seasoned tomato tartare, and the tuile is amazing and ties it all together with a few drops of balsamic reduction. I've made this dish, or variations of it, many times and it's always a crowd favorite. The sorbet is also great with my rendering of a greek salad with cucumber sorbet, red wine vinaigrette gelee, black olives, red onion, and frozen olive oil shavings. I wish I had the photography skills to capture all of my creations, and I have a great nikon to do so, but all too often I forget to get it out and snap a pic with my iphone or whatever is near. So this is what you get (my apologies in advance). We can't all be Heidi Swanson.