Recipe: Quinoa Tabouli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

There's nothing quite like eating a REAL lunch to make you feel like you actually have your shit together. 

Not knocking the string-cheese quesadilla or an almond-butter & fluff sandwich, of course. They just feel a bit, ehm, desperate. As in I desperately need to go food shopping and reacquaint myself with actual foods that grow out of the earth. (HELLO VEGETABLES WHAT R U.)

Any time I'm in a lunch-rut (which is........ often), this quinoa tabouli salad pulls me right on out. I make one big batch in the beginning of the week, then keep the salad and the dressing separate in the fridge. Each day when I'm ready to eat, I mix up a smaller bowl of the quinoa salad with a big glug of lemon vinaigrette. This way the herbs and veggies stay nice and crisp throughout the week. 

When I'm feeling especially hangry or when feeding a boy who thinks there is no such thing as 'too much protein', I'll throw in a drained can of tuna or a few scoops of drained, rinsed beans (white cannellini or garbanzo). I'm sure you could get away with chicken, too, but... meh. Chicken.

Oh PS: shake up your salad dressings in jars!! They don't even have to be of the mason variety. Any clean jar will do. (I hoard Talenti gelato containers & Trader Joe's roasted red pepper jars.) Vinaigrettes tend to do that rude separating thing when they sit for a while, and it's easy enough to just give the jar a quick shake each time you use it.

PPS: I have not a clue what makes sprouted quinoa different from regular quinoa, but TruRoots was kind enough to send me a bag to try and it seemed to cook up just the same. A quick google tells me it's healthier, so basically after one bowl of this stuff I'm SUPER-HUMAN. 

Recipe: Quinoa Tabouli Salad with 

Lemon Vinaigrette 

Recipe Notes
- This makes a really big bowl of salad. It's great for a crowd, or to portion out for lunches throughout the week.
- If you don't like or have mint and/or chives, just leave them out! The parsley is key, so I wouldn't skip that. 
- The salad is pretty filling as-is, but for extra protein toss in drained, canned tuna or a can of drained, rinsed beans (maybe white cannellini or garbanzo).

Ingredients
For dressing (makes just over 1 cup):
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from ~3 lemons)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dijon mustard 
2 tsp honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated on a microplane (~1 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper 

For salad:
1 cup uncooked quinoa (yields ~3 cups cooked; I used TruRoots sprouted quinoa)
1 cup gluten free chicken stock (sub another cup of water for vegetarian)
1 cup water
Olive oil for quinoa 
2 cups cucumbers cut into quarter-moons (equals 4 persian cucumbers)
2 cups diced grape tomatoes (equals almost one 16 oz. container)
1 cup roughly chopped, Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped chives

Instructions
To cook quinoa:
Add quinoa, chicken stock and water to a pot. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low (as low as possible), and cover with a lid. Set timer for 15 minutes. Check after 13/14 minutes. As soon as all of the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat. Drizzle cooked quinoa with a bit of olive oil, gently toss, and cover with lid. Let sit for 10 minutes with lid on. 

To make dressing:
Add all dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid. (Talenti ice cream containers work great!) Tighten lid, and shake vigorously until dressing is emulsified (will be thicker, creamy and pale yellow). 

To assemble salad:
In a large bowl, gently toss cooled quinoa (MUST be cooled or herbs will wilt) with cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Keep the salad and dressing separate until ready to serve. (I keep both in my fridge and mix up just enough for lunch each day.)

To serve:
Toss your desired portion of the quinoa salad with some of the dressing. Eat cold or room temp.

Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Pecorino

Salads. Meeeeeehhhhhhhhhh. 

Don't love 'em, but don't really hate 'em either. (Okay sometimes I hate them. I'm pretty sure every Celiac has had this reaction at least once. Or this one. If you haven't freaked the eff out over a salad yet, juuust wait. Your day will come.)

I totally order salads, sometimes. In fact, I'm an absolute whiz at plucking out all of the toppings and leaving the dumb lettuce behind. If there's cheese or some kind of porky-meat in that pile of leaves I will FIND IT. I am the Liam Neeson of salads. And mix-ins are my rebellious teenage children.

So what in the heck is a salad recipe doing on this blog? Well for starters, you won't find any lettuce. This salad is ALL sprouts. Which just so happen to be my favorite veggie in all the land. 

There's also a big ol' pile of cheese, which, yum. 

If you haven't signed off on your Thanksgiving menu yet, this would make a mighty fine addition. Or maybe make it the day after when you're good and stuffed? It's really quite light and refreshing (thanks diced apples!), so I think you'll enjoy it either way. 

Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Pecorino

[inspired by this salad from Sylvain in New Orleans, LA]

Notes
-If you want to make this extra festive you could throw in a handful of dried cranberries or dried cherries. I thought about it, but what I love most about this salad is its simplicity. Your call!
-Another solid addition would be crispy prosciutto or... bacon.

Ingredients
Agave White Balsamic Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (can sub white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar)
2 tsp agave (can sub honey)
1 tsp dijon mustard 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper 

Sprouts Salad:
3 cups raw, shaved Brussels sprouts (one 10 oz. Trader Joe's bag)
3/4 cups toasted, chopped walnuts (can sub almonds or hazelnuts)
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced 
Fresh-grated Pecorino Romano cheese (can sub Parmesan)

Instructions
Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Secure lid, and shake until the dressing is emulsified (thicker and creamier). 

In a large bowl, toss together the sprouts, walnuts, and diced apple. Add about half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing as needed. (I end up using about 2/3 of the dressing.)

To serve, portion the dressed salad onto plates. Top each plate of salad with a generous pile of grated Pecorino Romano. 

Chop't Does Jersey (and Gluten Free)

If there's one thing I rarely order at a restaurant, it's salad. (Except when I can't eat anything else on the menu. Thumbs down, Celiac. And of course, there's a .gif for that.) 

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I am addicted to Chop't. Maybe it's because I get a little Type-A-high from hand-picking every ingredient? Or because their tofu is laced with something that makes it just DIVINE? Even if I can't put my finger on it, that doesn't change how excited I was when Chop't asked me to craft a salad highlighting one of their new, super-seasonal ingredients: Local Jersey Peaches. (And HELLO - I'm from Jersey.)

My absolute favorite way to prepare peaches (not that they require much preparing) is in sweet, spicy peach salsa. Like, I could scarf chips and peach salsa every day for the rest of the summer. But that’s not entirely realistic or, ahem, nutritional. So why not turn it into a salad? That’s exactly how the Chop't Peach Fuego was born. Chips and salsa every day makes you a college student. Salad, however, makes you a mature adult who makes sensible food choices. Or something along those lines.

If you're interested to know what goes into the Peach Fuego, head on over to the Chop't blog. 

And if you have Celiac or must eat gluten free, here are a few pro-tips for eating safely at Chop't:

• You can find a PDF of their menu with allergens clearly marked here. Since most of their ingredients are gluten free, there's a section on the left listing the only ones that are NOT gluten free.
• If you tell your salad-chopper, or preferably a Manager, that you have Celiac disease or an allergy, they will kindly change their gloves and use a new cutting board to avoid cross-contamination.
• When they ask if you want bread, say no! Sometimes it's wrapped nicely in foil and you can pawn it off on a friend, but other times they'll plop it right on your salad. Better safe than gluten-ed. 

Pretty easy, right? Bonus: if you order the Peach Fuego you get to cut the line. HA kidding. That'd be way too sweet. I'll be waiting right there with you, likely at the Flatiron location. See ya there!

Disclosure: I wasn't required to write a blog post as part of creating a salad for Chop't; I just love them so much that I did it anyway.

Recipe: Charred Corn + Asparagus Rice Noodle Salad

The first time I ate this salad was one of those nights my mom 'didn't feel like cooking'. So, as someone who doesn't feel like cooking does, she whips up a vegetable and rice noodle salad, grilled BBQ chicken, and watermelon with feta and mint. Another one of those nights (this past weekend in fact) she served homemade gluten free mac and cheese with tomatoes, grilled lemon-pepper tilapia, and charred asparagus. Pssht but of COURSE you made homemade mac and cheese, Mom. That's practically convenience food. 

I'm not sure about you, but when I don't feel like cooking it's my faithful friends Ben and Jerry or my local sushi joint that end up doing the work. Perhaps one day I'll be on Barb's level and a 3-dish homemade dinner will be NBD. For now, Seamless.com and the freezer it is.

All housewife-aspirations aside, this noodle salad IS easy enough to throw together with little effort. (Little-to-no effort if your boyfriend grills the asparagus and corn on your behalf.) The rice noodles, which take a whopping 3 minutes to cook, are quickly dressed with gluten free soy sauce and sesame oil, and the rest is just tossing all the ingredients together. 

My favorite thing about this salad though (because obviously everyone has favorite things about salads) is that it can be eaten/served at any temperature - warm, straight from the fridge, or room temp. This makes it perfect for a continuous supply of leftovers, or for bringing to a get-together, barbecue, pool party, day-long rager, etc. Awwww yeah, rice noodles. Keepin' it summer-y.

Recipe: Charred Corn + Asparagus Rice Noodle Salad

Notes

-I love the combination of asparagus and corn, but you could experiment with other grilled veggies like red bell peppers.
-Add firm, cubed tofu or grilled shrimp to make this a meal.

Ingredients

-1 8-oz. bag gluten free rice vermicelli noodles
-canola or vegetable oil, for rice noodles
-1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
-6 ears corn, shucked (or ~3 cups frozen corn)
-olive oil, for veggies
-salt and pepper, for veggies
-1/2 cup sliced scallions (green and white parts)
-1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
-1/4 cup gluten free, low sodium soy sauce
-1.5 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. (Typically about 3 minutes in boiling water.) After draining, transfer noodles to a large bowl or serving dish and toss with enough canola or vegetable oil to lightly coat the noodles.

Evenly coat the asparagus and ears of corn with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill until the vegetables are charred. (Alternatively, you can roast the asparagus in the oven and use thawed, frozen corn.)

When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut the asparagus spears into thirds or quarters. For the corn, use a serrated knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. Add the asparagus pieces and the corn kernels to the bowl of rice noodles. 

To the same bowl, add the scallions, sesame seeds, soy sauce and sesame oil. Using tongs, toss all of the ingredients together so they are evenly distributed throughout the rice noodles. Add more canola oil, soy sauce, and/or sesame oil to taste. 

Serve room temperature, cold, or warmed through.

Recipe: Shaken Lemon, Dijon + Garlic Vinaigrette

Evidently, it’s pretty tough to get jazzed about salad dressing. Unless, of course, it’s in a cute little jar with a cute little label, and you can celebrate having made it without a DROP of olive oil landing on your clothes. (Which is quite the feat, given that 80% of my wardrobe is tainted by oil stains. How chic!)

The jar is so vital to this recipe that it may as well be an ingredient. I cannot stress enough how satisfying it is to throw a few ingredients into a jar, seal the lid (tightly, please), give it a couple of vigorous shakes, then marvel at the creamy, thick vinaigrette that has formed. As my girl Ina would say, ‘How easy is that?!’ (Mind you, Ina would probably have a member of her gaytourage shaking the jar, but I digress.)

Not only is the dressing made without dirtying a bowl/whisk/etc, but it’s all set to store in the fridge. I like to whip up a batch in the beginning of the week, then dress salads made up of whatever I have laying around. In this case: baby arugula, sliced radishes, and toasted walnuts. Not too shabby.

Now go give those bingo wings a workout and shake up some vinaigrette!

Notes

-I use empty roasted red pepper jars. Any empty, glass condiment jar will do. 

-The classic ratio for vinaigrettes is 3:1 (oil to acid, or in this case, lemon juice). Adjust as needed to suit your tastes.

-Speaking of tastes, taste as you go! You can always add more of any of these ingredients until you find the perfect balance.

-If dressing solidifies in fridge, remove the lid and microwave for about 10 seconds.

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil (~1/2 cup)           

Fresh lemon juice (from ~2 lemons)

Lemon zest (from ~1 lemon)

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

Dijon mustard (~1 tsp)

Coarse-ground mustard (~2 tsp)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

-In a jar, combine olive oil, lemon juice + zest, grated garlic, and mustard.

-Seal jar and shake to until dressing is emulsified. (It will thicken and turn a pale yellow color.)

-Add salt and pepper, shake jar again, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.

-Use immediately or store jar in fridge for about 1 week. Always shake before using.

Recipe: Southwestern Quinoa Salad

You may have noticed me casually name-drop Poker Group from time to time (i.e. here). Before the referrals to Gamblers Anonymous start rolling in, allow me to do some explaining.

Everyone has a group of people in their lives who aren't officially family, but were around so much growing up that they're not just friends either. That’s Poker Group. 4 families, 8 adults, 13 kids, no biological relation, and a whole lotta crazy. Though we’ve all shared beach trips, city trips, and ski trips over the years, it’s the parents’ monthly poker parties that have made the name stick. What qualifies as a name ‘sticking’ you may ask? They had matching t-shirts made. Seriously. Borderline inappropriate quote on the back and all.

So instead of being embarrassed that our parents party harder and gamble harder than we do, I can only hope that years from now my friends and I will still have the gall to conga-line around the kitchen table raising pumpkin martinis.

With that out of the way, here’s a recipe for a super fast and completely filling quinoa salad. It’s actually being posted at the request of one of the moms who has plans to make it for an upcoming Poker Night, hence the intro. So Mrs. Wagner – Here ya go!

PS. No idea if this is legitimately Southwestern. Could be Mexican. All I know is I did not singlehandedly invent this flavor profile. Can tell you though, that it definitely works.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

¾ cup frozen corn, thawed

½ small red onion, diced

Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced and zested

2 tsp ground cumin

Recipe

Add 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a medium-sized pot and place over high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover pot with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat, and fluff quinoa with a fork. Pour cooked quinoa into a large bowl.

Drizzle the warm quinoa with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl – this includes the beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest and cumin. Toss well to combine.

Serve at room temperature, cold, or warmed. 

Recipe: Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

I’m sitting here noshing on this salad so I can get my peanut fix without pouncing the 36 peanut butter cookies cooling on the kitchen counter. The great thing about 5-ingredient recipes? You always have everything on-hand. The bad thing about 5-ingredient recipes? You always have everything on-hand. Especially notable when it’s pouring in New York and you don’t quite feel like trudging to the store.  

(Edit: Looking at the paragraph above makes me dizzy. Sorry I'm not sorry.)

But on to this wonderfully flavorful and healthy chicken salad, brought to my attention by my friend and social-media extraordinaire, JM.

For fear of blowing $10+ a day on lunch and being on a first-name basis with the Qdoba employees, I’ve been revisiting the habit of bringing my lunch to work. Last week it was white bean salad with olives, and this week it was this Thai-inspired chicken salad with peanut dressing.

Poaching keeps the chicken extremely moist, which contrasts nicely with the crunch of the broccoli slaw – Crunch that’s still very much present 5 days later. Great for offices without a microwave, since it’s best eaten cold or room temp.

[Original Recipe from Foodily/Redbook]

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

Salad:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 cups once cooked and shredded; can substitute shredded rotisserie chicken)

2 cups broccoli slaw mix

1 cup coarsely grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)

1/3 cup sliced scallions

Dressing:

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp honey

4 tsp gluten free soy sauce

¼ tsp to 1 tsp Sriracha or other hot sauce (optional; I used ½ tsp)

Juice of ½ a lime

Optional Garnishes:

Crushed peanuts

Lime wedges

Recipe

Fill a pot with enough water to cover the chicken, and place over high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce it to a simmer. Add both chicken breasts, cover pot with a lid, and poach for about 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove one piece of chicken and cut into the thickest part to check for doneness. If the chicken is still at all pink, return it to the pot and continue to cook until the meat is cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked through, move to a paper towel lined plate to cool.

While chicken is cooling, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until it's completely smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli slaw, grated carrots and scallions. Using your hands or two forks, shred the cooled chicken and add that to the veggies. Toss to combine.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until all of the ingredients are coated.

Serve cold or at room temp, and garnish with crushed peanuts and lime wedges. 

Recipe: Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Roasted Olives

Nothing against canned foods, but uh, most of them kinda suck. I would rather gnaw on my own hand than eat canned green beans (more like grey beans – false advertising!) And my only fond memory of canned black olives entails watching my then-baby sister pop one on each of her fingers then happily bite them off.

That being said, there are a few canned goods that reserve the right to a constant spot in my pantry – Beans and tuna. Both of these protein-packed time savers have gotten me through many a quick meal.

Thanks to a roasting revelation, a can of black olives (gasp!) will now find company in the top left corner of the cabinet over the microwave. After 25 minutes in the oven, the metallic taste all but fades away, as the olives shrivel slightly and by some miracle taste good. Really good.

This salad comes together in no time, and on Thursday by oh, 2 pm I should be able to verify that it got me through 4 consecutive days of packed lunches.

Ingredients

Salad:

One 6 ounce can large, pitted black olives, drained and rinsed

Olive oil

One 15 ounce can white cannellini (kidney) beans, drained and rinsed

One 5 ounce can tuna in water, drained well

½ small red onion, very thinly sliced

½ cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (can substitute roasted red peppers)

Handful of fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Dressing:

½ cup olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

Recipe

Spread olives on a foil-lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Roast in a 400-degree oven for 25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.

Meanwhile, place beans, tuna, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley in a large bowl. Add the red onion, being sure to separate the slivers. Toss gently with a fork, breaking up the tuna as you go.

To make the dressing, vigorously whisk together the ½ cup olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon zest.

After olives have cooled for a few minutes, add them to the salad and toss to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss once more so all of the ingredients are evenly coated.

Serve cold or at room temperature. 

Recipe: Caprese-ish Salad

I’m calling it now. Crisped prosciutto is the new bacon. Does this mean it will end up covered in chocolate, stuck to the top of a maple-glazed doughnut, or even bottled as perfume? Probably not. Make that hopefully not. But it will definitely become my new go-to for crumbling on top of eggs, layering on a BLT (PLT?), and adding to anything that’s just begging for a bit of crunch and a touch of smoky flavor.

If you’re getting a little tired of the tried and true Caprese salad, this dish is a fantastic twist on the much-loved classic. What’s more, the addition of cannellini beans makes it hearty enough to stand alone. (Though it pairs particularly well with this chicken.) With the portions below you’ll likely have a bit of leftover salad, which makes for a great quick lunch. I took the chill off in the microwave, and the only thing that would have put it over the top was a poached egg. If you have leftover mozzarella, well, I can’t really help you there. Leftover cheese is a thing of myths in our apartment.

For those of you who still need a bacon fix, direct yourselves here. Better?

Ingredients

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

3 oz prosciutto (6-8 slices)

1 lb tomatoes (whichever variety looks best; I used Campari)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 15 oz can white Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed  

Handful of fresh basil, chiffonaded

1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Recipe

Make Balsamic Reduction: Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until liquid is reduced by about half. (Time depends on the size of the saucepan; ours took 4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat to cool.

Crisp Prosciutto: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium high heat. Add slices of prosciutto, being careful not to overlap. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until very crisp. Transfer first batch to paper towels to drain and repeat until all prosciutto is cooked.

Mix Salad: Slice tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds/juice. This will keep the salad from becoming watery. Then, cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a medium bowl. To the bowl, add garlic, cannellini beans, basil, 1 tablespoon of the reduced balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Crumble the crisped prosciutto over the other ingredients. Stir to combine. Taste the salad, and add more oil, vinegar, salt or pepper as needed.

Assemble: Cut mozzarella into thick slices and arrange on a platter. Top each cheese round with a scoop of the tomato salad, and finish with a flurry of torn basil.

Recipe: Polenta with Corn and Tomato Salad

This is somewhat of a Dear John letter to Trader Joe’s precooked log of polenta, which got me through many a quick post-work meal, caused my roommate to think the words polenta and placenta are interchangeable, and reminded us that our fire alarm is pretty darn sensitive. In the end, it was a little too easy, and the log shape a little too unnatural. Not to mention, has anyone witnessed the Union Square Trader Joe’s line after 6 PM on a weekday?? I can think of 2,398 better things to do with my non-employed hours.

Enter Big Girls Small Kitchen, a recent addition to my collection of food blogs worth drooling over daily. Making polenta from scratch is one of those tasks that has always been on my culinary to-do list, but seeing it accompanied by the near-holy trinity of summer corn, tomatoes and basil was the kicker. This made a perfectly fresh side dish for BBQ chicken, but could definitely stand alone as a main dish with the addition of a can of cannellini beans or chickpeas.

P.S. One of the two bloggers from BGSK, Phoebe, has recently gone gluten free. So you can bet I’ll be looking to her for recipe inspiration again!

Tips: The 10 or so minutes of whisking goes by a heck of a lot faster if you can play Words With Friends with your non-dominant hand. (Slightly less fast if you’re stuck with all consonants.) Also, cleaning a pot of scalded milk is gross. Keep an eye on it!

[Original recipe from Big Girls Small Kitchen]

Ingredients

Polenta:

1 cup milk (any fat content)

2 cups water

1 cup polenta (sometimes labeled as corn grits)

1 tbsp butter

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp pepper

Salad:

4 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob (uncooked)

1.5 pints grape tomatoes, sliced in half (yellow and red)

½ medium zucchini, diced

1 medium shallot, very thinly sliced

Handful of fresh basil, chiffonaded

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or whatever type you have)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Recipe

Make Polenta: In a medium saucepan, bring water and milk to a simmer. Stir occasionally to avoid scalding milk. Once simmering, slowly add polenta while continuously whisking. Turn flame to low and stir mixture for 8-10 minutes, or until polenta is the consistency of a thick porridge. When you run a spoon along the bottom of the pot, it should momentarily leave a clear path.

Turn off the heat. Add butter and cheese, and stir until smooth. Pour polenta into a greased 9x9 or 8x8 pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Make Salad: In a bowl, combine corn, tomatoes, zucchini, shallot and basil. Stir to combine. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Sear Polenta: Remove polenta from fridge, carefully flip out of pan, and cut into 9 squares. Pat dry with paper towels. (This will reduce the amount of oil spattering.) In a large skillet over high heat, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. After heating oil, add first batch of polenta squares, being sure they don’t overlap. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat process until all of the polenta squares are crisped.

Assemble: Place 1-2 polenta squares on a plate, and top with a generous amount of corn and tomato salad. Garnish with extra chiffonaded basil.

Recipe: Tomato Basil Salad with Poached Eggs

I'm pretty sure that even if I didn't work 3 blocks from Union Square, I would find an excuse to make it to the Union Square Greenmarket at least twice a week. And hey if there are local restaurant chefs stocking up on fresh produce in the morning and Top Chef contestants strolling through in the afternoon, it must be good. Everything in this recipe (except for the olive oil) is from the market, right down to the eggs!


Ingredients (serves 1)
2 eggs
Vinegar (any type)
1 large beefsteak tomato or a few smaller tomatoes, thickly sliced
Few handfuls of arugula
1 tbsp minced garlic
Fresh basil
Salt & pepper
Olive oil


Recipe
Poach Eggs: Bring a small pot of water + 1 tbsp vinegar (helps egg whites stay together) to a boil. When the water is at a rolling boil, turn it down to a simmer. Crack 1 egg into a small, shallow bowl, and carefully slide it into the water. Use a spoon to wrap the whites around the yolks. Do the same with the second egg. After about 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to a paper towel to drain. This will give you set whites and a runny yolk. For a firmer yolk, increase cooking time.


Prep Salad: Spread the arugula on a plate, followed by the tomato slices, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and chiffonaded basil. To chiffonade basil, pile the leaves on top of each other, tightly roll them, and thinly slice across the roll. You should end up with something resembling basil confetti.


To Plate: Top salad with poached eggs.