Recipes in this weeks blog:

1. Pambiche inspired Beet Salad
2. Savory Quinoa Veggie Fest
3. Dessert: fresh peach and goat cheese with balsamic reduction

Pambiche inspired Beet Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 9 small beets
• 6 green onions
• 1 bunch/head cilantro
• 2-3 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• pinch of salt (optional, I often omit the salt)

Directions:

Chop the greens and the little root tail off of the beets, and peel them. If you don’t want your hands to take on a lovely pink hue, then grab a pair of gloves before you start working with the beets.

Once the beets are peeled, chop them into roughly one inch cubes and place in a steamer. Steam the beets for five to ten minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.

In the meantime, slice the green onions into one cm slices. Roughly chop the cilantro. Place both the green onions and the cilantro into a salad bowl to await the steamed beets.

For the dressing, pour 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar into a small bowl or ramekin.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, a 1/4 tsp ground pepper and an optional pinch of salt. Use a small whisk and whisk the ingredients into the oil. Take a little taste and see if you need to add another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. You’ll know.  Set aside.

When the beets are easily pierced with a fork, then add them to the bowl containing the green onions and cilantro. Toss them all together, then add the dressing and toss the whole medley a few more times to coat everything easily.  Serve and devour as politeness allows.

Savory Quinoa Veggie Fest Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 cups water
• a dash of salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4-5 kale leaves
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 small summer squash
• 1 Walla Walla sweet onion
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2-3 T Fresh chèvre
• Juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Put one cup of quinoa in a saucepan and cover with water. Allow to soak for 15 minutes. While you wait, start chopping some veggies. Slice the onion into 1/2 slices and add to a cast iron skillet or other skillet. Add a tablespoon of olive oil for cooking.  Slice the summer squash into 1/4 inch thick rounds, then quarter them.  Set aside. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Roughly chop the kale into 1-2 inch chunks and set aside. Mince the garlic. Roughly chop the walnuts or almonds (my personal favorite in this dish are walnuts, but we were out, so almonds made an excellent back up plan).

15 minutes may have passed by now, so drain your quinoa, and set aside. Bring  2 cups of  water to boil on the stove. Once the water boils, stir in the quinoa. Add a dash of olive oil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes. I like to set a timer for 10 minutes. When it looks like most or all of the liquid has cooked off, then remove the quinoa from the heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.

While the water is coming to a boil, start sautéing your onion slices in a skillet with the olive oil over med-low heat, this takes about 2-3 minutes.Then add the summer squash and continue sautéing for 1 minute. Add the kale and garlic. Stir occasionally while the kale cooks down. 

When the quinoa has sat for 5 minutes, remove the lid and fluff it with a fork. Next add all the sautéed veggies, the fresh (non-cooked) tomatoes, and nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the whole dish and stir everything around to evenly disperse the vegetables and seasonings. Add the fresh chèvre by breaking it up with a fork into the quinoa and dish up into serving bowls. Or you can garnish each serving with chèvre individually.

Dessert recipe: fresh peach and goat cheese with balsamic reduction

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe peaches
• 4 T fresh, unsalted chèvre
• 2 T balsamic reduction sauce

Slice two ripe peaches and divide into two bowls. Add 2 T of unsalted, fresh chevre to each bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of balsamic reduction sauce. Enjoy.

For a great ‘how to’ on balsamic reduction check out this link: http://www.yumsugar.com/How-Make-Balsamic-Reduction-22636318