Caramelized Onion Rice with Tomatoes and Cucumber

At the end of the weekend, I find myself scrambling to use up the last of my CSA box. I pick my box up each Tuesday, so I try to eat the majority of the veggies from the previous week by Monday. Sometimes I end up eating the veggies raw, sometimes I end up throwing them all in a soup, and sometimes I end up roasting them and drizzling them with, you guessed it, Sriracha.

I was skimming through The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook, my newest favorite find at the library, when I noticed a recipe for Caramelized Onion Rice. I thought it sounded like a great side but could easily be amped up with a couple more vegetables.

FoodBuzz recently provided me with a tub of Texmati White Rice as part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program with RiceSelect. I cracked it open and started cooking!

Caramelized Onion Rice with Tomatoes and Cucumber

Serves 4-6, as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Texmati white rice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
• 2 small cucumbers, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta, optional, for topping

1. Cook rice according to package directions; remove from heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant; remove from heat.
3. Add onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Gently toss until combined. Top with feta, if desired.

This side dish is incredibly easy to make. The caramelized onions give it a sweet touch that balances out the saltiness of the feta. While the rice is fluffy and tender, the cucumbers give it a nice crunch. Serve with your favorite veggie burger and top with grilled shrimp for a light, Summery dish.

Yes, I’m still pretending it’s Summer. It’s 84* today, wouldn’t you?

This post is brought to you by Rice Select.

This post is brought to you by Rice Select.

Eggplant and Red Pepper Salad/ Gruber Farm CSA Week 2

Hi friends!

I have a funny story for you. On Sunday when I went to Rosh Hashanah at Sean’s house, I made a funny oopsies. One of the guests and I were discussing our love of local produce and the CSAs we were signed up with. I was telling her how much I loved Gruber Farm and blurted out, “I love picking up my box each week. It’s like Christmas every Tuesday!”

I made a Christmas reference at a Jewish event. Derrrrrrrrrr.

As soon as I said it I thought “REALLY? Of all the cool things to compare something to you chose that? Tonight?” The woman probably thought nothing of it, but I laughed in my head thinking how typical that was for me.

Thank heavens my teddy bear challah came out well or else I would have just had to excuse myself from the festivities. After telling the story to another Jewish friend later, he remarked “You should have said it was like Hanukah every week.” Oh, really? Thanks for the tip.

CSA Week 2:

• cantaloupe
• zucchini
• eggplant
• beets (!!)
• red potatoes
• Muscadine grapes
• green beans
• red pepper
• cucumbers
• onion

That cantaloupe was the largest I’ve ever seen. Annabel, who is also signed up with Gruber Farm, asked me, “Do you have a size DDDDD cantaloupe in yours too?” Yep. I did.

Back to business. Before ultimately deciding on the pumpkin challah for Rosh Hashanah, I borrowed a Jewish cookbook from the library called The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook.

This book has so many recipes I’d love to make that I might actually buy it. I’m not kidding, there are recipes for pumpkin bread, asparagus avocado salad, white bean hummus, muhammara, greens and orzo soup, grated beets with toasted hazelnuts, and more. Get excited for lots of these being featured on the blog. The first recipe I made was…

Eggplant and Red Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Turn stovetop gas burner to high and place eggplants, one at a time, directly over burner grate, turning occasionally with tongs until all sides are charred and eggplant is soft, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet and let cool completely. Drain juices, remove skin, and place eggplant pulp in the bowl of a food processor. *If you do not have a gas burner at home, you can broil the eggplants (turning them just as you would on the flame) until their skin is blistered and the inside is creamy and soft.
2. Pulse eggplant 10-15 times until well chopped but with a few remaining chunks. Add red pepper, garlic, scallion, oil, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne and salt, pulsing to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving.

Two things to note: 1. I omitted the olive oil because I thought it was unnecessary. 2. I pulsed mine a bit more and it turned out like a spread. Regardless, it was very tasty and made for a great veggie burger topping. It would also be so good in a pita with veggies, black beans, and feta. Heck, it’d be good with chips too!

What’s your favorite dip or spread? Hummus? Olive tapenade? Roasted red pepper dip? Black bean dip? Baba ghanoush?

Do you find yourself sticking your foot in your mouth like I did? Shoot, sometimes it’s my whole leg.

CSA Week 7 / Recipe Help From My Readers

Despite being a bit sad that I am more than halfway through my Spring CSA with Gruber Farm, I was delighted with this week’s box.

The variety and quality of Week 7 was impressive.

• carrots
• green beans
• zucchini
• pattypan squash
• cucumbers
• onions
• peaches
• pole beans
• red potatoes

At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what the beans in the bottom middle were. I couldn’t decide if they were snow peas or pole beans. After asking friends on twitter, I finally decided they must be pole beans. I hope I’m right. I’m open to being corrected…

As usual, I went straight for the fruit. Biting into the first peach reminded me that Summer is just around the corner. That evening, I cut the potatoes in bite-sized pieces and sauteed them with diced onion. All they  needed was a bit of oil and a dash of salt & pepper. Sometimes it’s the simple recipes that turn out the best.

The other vegetables left me wondering…

Should I eat the carrots as I always do, with my favorite hummus?

What on earth do I make with the patty pan squash? I won’t forgive myself if I chop them up. They’re too beautiful not to keep in their whole form. Perhaps stuffed is the way to go.

Pole beans? Who cooks with those?

Everyone thinks of peach cobbler, why not make something else?

Here are some recipes I bookmarked today:

• Patty pan Squash Stuffed with Corn
• Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes – basically what Courtney made this weekend!
• Carrot and Raisin Salad – a healthy version of Chick-fil-A’s!
• Sautéed Peaches

What would you make with this week’s vegetables? I want to know your favorites. Your tried and true recipes. Your family’s secrets.  Your own creations.

As bloggers and foodies, we know how tiring searching for the perfect recipe can be, so why not share with one another? Send me what you’ve got – I’d love to make it at home and highlight it on my blog!

Winner gets a special prize.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. I haven’t found these yet, but when I do…

I’ll be opening them up before I can make it to the register. I promise to pay.

2. I reserved all of these books at the library…

but they’re all waiting for me to finish Fifty Shades of Grey. My (new) book club girls and I decided to make this our first book and boy, oh, boy, our first meeting will be interesting. I raised my hand to host this month’s book and come up with discussion questions. I feel like it’s going to be a game of “Never Have I Ever…”

3. On Easter Sunday, my family and I played the game Apples for Apples. Of course I was dealt the beets card.

It was destiny. However, I don’t agree that beets beat Brussels sprouts. I like them equally.

4.  The Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market started yesterday! For a mere $9, I got a bunch of beets, sweet potatatoes, cucumbers, yellow corn, and a 1/2 pound of local shrimp.

5. Do you guys remember when I posted about the Foodie Terms That Make Me Cringe? It’s a funny post – check it out asap. Well, Serious Eats just posted their own list: Our Secret List of Banned Words. My favorite? Mouthfeel. That word is awful.

6. One of my new favorites from What Should We Call Me:

MY MAIN PROBLEM WITH DIETING:

7.  This dress.

And this dress.

Oh, and this dress too.

My bank account doesn’t get upset with me when I find dresses that are each under $30.

Now tell me what you love! xo

Pure Barre & Pure Food

Last Thursday, I went to happy hour with my friend Sarah. The HH was hosted by Andrea, one of the teachers from Pure Barre. For each drink purchased, you were entered in a giveaway to win prizes from the studio. I was lucky enough to win four free classes! (source)

Bright and early on Sunday morning (okay, 9 a.m.), I went to my first free class. This was actually my third time at Pure Barre. (Read about my first experience here.) I wish I could take each and every one of my readers to the studio. The workout is incredible! It’s one of those classes that makes me wake up the next morning saying, “I have muscles there? Ouch.” And I love it! Check out the Pure Barre site to find a location near you!

At the Mt. Pleasant location, the new client special is $99 for a month of unlimited classes. On Sunday, their facebook page announced a deal I could not pass up.

You see that word challenge? GETS ME EVERY TIME. How could I say no to that? Twenty classes in 30 days…I’ve got this, right? I am both scared and excited to see what happens to my bum. Excuse me,  my seat ;)

Speaking of all things pure in Mt. Pleasant, let’s talk about The Sprout, an organic café and juice bar. My friend Nicole and I popped in for brunch over the weekend. The first thing I noticed were all the juices. My eyes immediately darted to The Refresher: beet, apple, celery, cucumber, and carrot.

Sold. It was pink! #beetsmakeeverythingpink

We also split the Black Bean Burrito: black beans, lentils, tomatoes, greens, dairy-free cheese, and tahini dressing. The juice was great and the wrap was also tasty, but the service was beyond slow. It took over 20 minutes to get our food. Our raw food. Um, what?

Nicole also snuck in an order of two wheatgrass shots. She threw hers back like it was water. I, on the other hand, took one sip, gagged as quietly as I possibly could, and passed mine over to her. Could not handle it. They were a pretty green though, I’ll give her that.

 

Have you ever taken a class at Pure Barre? Do you think I can handle 20 classes in 29 more days?

What’s a health trend you can’t get on board with?

Destin Day 1

This morning we awoke to heat. Heat and humidity. This was the weather before 9 a.m.

After breakfast, we got ready for the beach. We stopped at Wal-Mart (aka crazyland) for beer and fancy koozies.I think we got some good ones. Our koozies have two fine ladies on them – one with short hair doing some kind of awful dance, and another with long hair splashing in the water.

Hey, it’s like us on the koozie!

The beach here is so much prettier than the beaches in Charleston; the sand is white and doesn’t stick to you and the ocean is a pretty blue-green color. You can actually see your feet through the water.

Here we are with Margaret’s little sister on the beach. Yes, that is her little sister. I may or may not have been standing in a pit in the sand, but at 14 years old, she is still a few inches taller than me. Yet we have the same foot size. Um…

My goal is to leave Destin bronzer than ever – I think I’m doing okay.

After the beach we came home and made a little snack with some of my CSA veggies that I had brought with us. Here is a bowl of cucumber spears soaking in white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cucumbers are just immature pickles!

We lounged around a bit and I continued reading the book I had started while on the beach. Virginia recommended Little Bee and I snatched it up from the library before we left. I’m only on chapter 3, but so far it’s a great read.

Later in the afternoon, we ran over to the outlets. I picked up two pairs of shorts from Banana Republic. Dresses are fun, but I really love wearing shorts in the summertime.  

For dinner, we had some fresh snapper that Margaret’s dad caught this morning. Margaret’s little sister made a topping of sundried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic, and cilantro – delicious. With the fish we had purple potatoes from my CSA box, green beans from Margaret’s garden, and sweet corn on the cob.

So far, we’ve had a great time and I’m looking forward to more sun tomorrow. It will be in the high 90s again.

Have you read any good books this summer?

What’s your preference: shorts or dresses?

CSA Week #6 and Bridesmaids

Today I picked up my 6th box of fresh produce from my CSA with Pinckney’s. I was so excited to pick this box up as this week’s list of goodies was huge!

That’s Lucy and her laptop in the background – pervin’ on my veggies!

In this box:

• Beets
• Butter Crunch Lettuce
• Carrots
• Collards
• New Potatoes
• Onions 
• Pattypan squash
• Pickling cumbers – heck YES
• Rutabagas
• Swiss Chard  
• Turnips
• Yellow Squash
• Zucchini

This was by far the best box yet! How adorable is the pattypan squash! (far right corner) I’m pumped about getting beets again and oh my gosh, I have soooo many potatoes. Someone needs to come over and mash with me!!

The first thing I noticed in this box was this peculiar looking carrot. When I pulled it out, this is what I found: SIAMESE CARROTS!!!

After picking up my CSA box, Lucy and I met Sarah at Cinebarre. After meeting on Sunday, we planned on seeing Bridesmaids. I think every single one of my friends (besides Lucy and Sarah) had already seen it. They have all been raving about how funny it was, so I was dying to go. It was freaking HILARIOUS! Watch the trailer, please, just do it!

While in the theatre, I got an email from another blog friend, Caroline, who was in another room watching Something Remembered. Caroline must have been thinking about my previous visit to Cinebarre when I ordered frickles (otherwise known as Big Lebowskies at Cinebarre).

She wrote: “I was ordering a diet coke, but evidently I got too excited about frickles! Diet frickles might be cool. But not a small!!!!” Oopsies!

So, Caroline…did they serve you Diet Lebowskies? Ha! I hope you got your order fixed!

Are you married? How many times have you been a bridesmaid? I’ve been a bridesmaid three times and I have a feeling I’ll be one a few more times.

Happy Wednesday everyone! We’re so close to a 3-day weekend!!

XO!

Lemon Dill Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce

A couple weeks ago, I made one of the easiest healthy recipes. This fish requires such little work that it’s a great weekday meal. All I did was take a couple of pieces of salmon and drizzle them with olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and sprinkle them with salt & pepper. In a baking dish, along with sliced zucchini, I added a bunch of fresh dill. I then roasted them for 10-12 minutes at 400*. The salmon came out so moist!

I love salmon because it’s full of health benefits. It’s chock full of vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, protein, vitamin B3, and vitamin B12. And because it’s full of flavor, you don’t have to baby it too much – a bit of fresh herbs will do the trick!

If you’re a saucy person (duh, I am), you may want something more. Tzatziki sauce is your best bet because it is so refreshing!

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 small container plain Greek yogurt (<3 Fage!!)
• 1/2 of a small cucumber, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. fresh dill
• s&p to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. It tastes even better if you let it sit overnight! Another really great recipe that I’ve made using tzatziki is Greek chicken and potatoes.

And if you’re wondering what the white mushy stuff on the plate is, well, those would be turnips. I took the turnips I got in my first CSA box, boiled them, and mashed them with a tiny bit of butter, skim milk, goat cheese, and salt & pepper. They were just like mashed potatoes!

What is your favorite fish? How do you like it prepared? As of Monday night, my favorite fish is now sheepshead! I also really love mahi mahi and swordfish.

Are you a saucy person or more of  a plain-eater? I tend to douse my food in sauces – whatever the food goes well with, I want more of it. Ketchup is one of my weakness. I use an outrageous amount of ketchup packets (or tubs!) on anything I can. Except steak. That’s just nasty. :)

Greek Chicken & Potatoes

MMM PITA!

A few months ago, I found a pork souvlaki recipe on Serious Eats. I made the tzatziki sauce and it was really tasty. I omitted the olive oil because I didn't find it necessary, and it was still really yummy. You really taste the garlic and lemon in the sauce.

Here's the recipe I used:
1 cup Oikos plain Greek yougrt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup grated cucumber

Mix all ingredients together and marinade for at least an hour.

We cooked a chicken breast in olive oil and added a Greek seasoning that consisted of oregano, rosemary, and a couple other herbs. Then we stuffed toasted pitas with the chicken, spinach leaves, and the tzatziki sauce.

For the potatoes, I used olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. I baked them in the oven for about 45 minutes on 450*, turning halfway through.

Everything turned out great!