Spicy Watermelon Salad

This salad from Sunset, is delicious and perfect for a hot day/evening during this hot summer.  I liked the approach to pickling/mellowing the onions and will try making them to add to other dishes.  I didn't add feta this time, but grilled some Halloumi to go with it.  So tasty!

Summer Veggie Rice Bowl

I made this recipe from Cooking Light for dinner tonight and it was quick, easy and tasty.   I didn't add edamame but otherwise followed the recipe.  It is a good way to use up summer produce (zucchini!) and I used basil from my "garden".  I used frozen brown rice which made it really easy.  I think the lack of edamame made it a little over dressed in the end.  I think I will cut back on the lemon juice and oil when I make it again.  It would also be good cold, or served as a side dish instead of a main.  Lastly, two of us ate the whole recipe for dinner, although it says it serves four.

No-Cream Creamy Corn Soup with Chipotle-Lime Topping

I've been waiting to make this recipe for awhile, and finally corn is in season again so I jumped at the chance! Like most white women, I love a good farmer's market, and I was happy to buy the corn for this soup from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, as the recipe comes from the cookbook of the same name.

It was messy. I tried using the grater and was discouraged, so I cut the kernels off of two ears. Then I went back to the grater, and it really made a huge difference.

The result was awesome though, and other than grating the corn, the recipe is super easy. I would be careful with the onion choice though, mine might have been a bit too big. I blended the soup and the topping and it was an awesome combo. I used canned chipotle's, and the topping was fairly spicy, so keep that in mind. Overall a great soup I hope to make again!

Arugula, Corn and Tomato Salad w Shaved Parmesan

I made this salad on the 4th of July, and everyone seemed to like it. I'm not in love with an all-arugula salad, so I did half spinach, half arugula. Since I'm also not in love with Parmesan, next time I'll try another dry, salty cheese and see what happens. This salad is simple but great!

Indian-Style Cauliflower Soup with English Peas

I love the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, and I like the cookbook Santa gave me as well. English peas are making their 2012 debut, and this soup highlights them well. Mine was a bit spicier than expected, likely because I dumped in red pepper flakes instead of measuring, but it tastes great. 


The recipe in the link has 1 TBL for canola or ghee, and 2 TBL of ginger. In the book, it is the reverse. 


I've also realized I need a stronger immersion blender! And better lighting when I take these photos!

I will stick with Shalimar

I recently made palak paneer from 101 Cookbooks (she calls the recipe saag paneer, but I think it's palak). Every time we eat Indian food I order palak paneer. It is my hands down favorite food. I was excited when the recipe from 101 Cookbooks appeared. I tried making palak paneer a long time ago and it didn't turn out well.

A handful of the 101 Cookbooks readers posted that making this recipe at home was more expensive than buying palak paneer from a restaurant. I concur. I paid $5 for the spinach, and that amount was actually less than the recipe called for. I spent $5 on the paneer. I think I can order palak paneer from a restaurant for $8, so I have to agree with the other posters on this point.

The dish turned out okay. I liked that it did not taste like a lot of oil was added, which is often the case with restaurant quality paneer dishes. But something was missing and I will not make this again.

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

I love no cookie more than an oatmeal cookie, usually without the addition of nuts and candy. This recipe from my Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics book produced light, thin-ish, cookies that could crumble easily. This surprised me considering you need two sticks of butter! But these aren't crispy, like bad chocolate chip cookies, these are awesome. I did not add the nuts or raisins, per the recipe.

I ended up adding chocolate chips to some of the cookies, and then some trail mix (one of the only things I would need if stranded on a deserted island), just to use more of it up before it went bad. 

A house guest ate almost all of them in two days! Also, these last for quite a while, over 10 days.