Meyer Lemon Chickpea Salad

I have been in the mood for some simple food. You can't get much more simple than this salad. A little chopping, a little opening of cans, and salad!

I took this to our Father's Day picnic. It went over so well I only got a picture of my own bowl.

Meyer Lemon Chickpea Salad

1 can Chickpeas
1 avocado
1/2 a cucumber
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1-3 cloves garlic
2-4 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
(optional - a little drizzle of Greek Honey)

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Add to a large serving bowl.

Dice the avocado, cucumber and the cherry tomatoes. Add to the bowl. Depending on how much garlic everyone likes, press 1-3 cloves. We like a lot of garlic, so 3 cloves it was. Start with one and see how it goes. You can always stir in more later.

Toss everything with the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and chill for at least an hour. Drizzle with the honey just before serving. (if using)

Customer Recipe: Jim's Chicken and Potatoes

One of our customers stopped by to restock over the weekend and showed off his cooking skills with this Instagram photo. He described it thus:

"White truffle sauté chukar, pancetta essence seared diminutive tubers and savoy florets over a bed of fresh spinach drizzled with piquant dressing and a fresh cut of lemon for zest."

Or, as he told me later, "Boneless chicken fried in White Truffle Garlic oil, baby potatoes and broccoli florets seared in Bacon oil. Everything was laid out on fresh spinach with a drizzle of Buffalo Ranch dressing (and a slice of lemon)."

Thanks Jim! It looks divine!

Welcome Home!

My parents are coming home from Italy! Now I can go back to posting recipes instead of pictures. Whoohoo!

I was tidying up at their place, getting the mail in order when I noticed that they had no food. They have been gone for a long time, so there are a couple things in the fridge, like garlic. And some bottled water. Of course, they aren't going to want to cook when they come home, so I thought I'd get them a little something.

When I get some one a little something, I mean food. So I got them groceries. Some milk and some eggs...and I made them some chicken so they don't have to cook on their first night back.

Welcome Home Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms
3-6 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh oregano
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, to taste
2-4 tbsp Red Pepper Bruschetta

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan to medium heat. Add the chopped onions and let cook, stirring occasionally until they are almost fully caramelized, 20 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms a little salt and a little extra oil if the pan is looking dry. Saute them until they break down, about another 8-10 minutes. Add the peppers and the chicken and stir it all to combine. Add more olive oil to make sure that everything is well coated.

Bring the heat up to medium-high and add the chicken broth and the oregano and cover. Let simmer for about ten minutes. Stir and test how done the chicken is. This will depend on how thick your slices are. Stir in the Red Pepper Bruschetta (avaliable in store) and a little salt to taste.

Serve with fresh bread.

This recipe could be easily done with tofu subbed in for the chicken. Have fun with it!

Welcome Home Mom and Dad!

Modena and The Alps

And on this hot hot day, I thought we could all use this moment. Brr!

Some Sights!

This is a restaurant! Where they got these awesome meals!

Awesome Information

I just read an awesome article on why sea salt is good for you!

Read it here.

Don't forget, we have tons of flavored sea salts in store. My favorite for summer is the Yakima Applewood Smoked salt. It is just perfect for grilling season. Or cooking inside, pretending you are grilling season.

Zesty Onion Hero

A Hero. This memorial day, go thank one!

Maybe with this hero. The sandwich. Which was supposed to be all grilled, but it was raining, so it's roasted instead. Oh well.

My favorite thing about cook outs is the grilled vegetables. Nice and caramelized, little crisp bits on the ends. I am not a vegetarian, but a grilled veggie sandwich is heaven. The best thing about this is that you can modify this for however many people you need to feed.


Zesty Onion Hero
serves 2

Long rolls
1 bunch scallions
1 bell pepper
1/2 an onion
1/2 an eggplant
1/4 cup fresh salsa
Zesty Onion Olive Oil
cumin
salt and pepper
4 slices pepperjack cheese

Slice the veggies very thinly. Just trim the hairy bits off the scallions. Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch salt. Set aside to marinate for at least ten minutes. You will need a grill basket for the best results, but a bit of folded tin foil will do the job in a pinch.

Heat your grill, this doesn't have to be super hot just for veggies. Do this while you are doing other things. Keep this off the direct heat unless you want truly crispy vegetables.

Brush the bread with oil and lightly grill. Just a little. Set the veggies down on the grill and sprinkle with a bit of cumin and black pepper. Depending on your heat level, it shouldn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes to finish off. Toss them around with tongs to keep the scallions from burning. Everything should be well browned.

Top your roll with cheese and pile on the veggies. Scoop on a tablespoon or two of fresh salsa and bite into spicy, crisp, cook-out heaven.

Other good add ins are portobello mushrooms. asparagus, green beans, broccoli rabe, spinach or watercress. And of course, bits of chicken if you want it. But don't leave off the scallions! It sounds odd, but it is the best! Just ask Greg at Sippity Sup. (He gave me the first idea to grill scallions, waaayyy back in February.)

So thank a hero and eat good food. Happy Memorial Day all!

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