Half-Anniversary, Full Menu

We have been married for 6 MONTHS! (6 months and 2 days now, technically.)

What to do to celebrate a half-year of wedded bliss... hmm... that's easy! Cook! Eat! And drink plenty of good wine!

My job was planning the menu, Mark's was picking out wine. He did so good - he found a bottle of wine from Bernardus, a tiny vineyard we visited on our honeymoon in Monterey! After Mark revealed the special wine, he opened the fridge to show me another "special wine" he chose in honor, not of us, but of the Master's.

red for our love, white for Arnie

Our first course was this: Mediterranean Vegetable Stacks with Garlic White Bean Spread and Arugula Cashew Pesto... plated with a sprinkle of goat cheese and balsamic glaze. Delectable. Mark ate a third for dessert.

first course.

 Our second course would be Pistachio-Encrusted Wild Caught Halibut with Saffron Risotto. 

second plate.

Before baking these beautiful, wild-caught halibut fillets (Mark said, "I got the most expensive fish at the counter,") I dressed them with olive oil and pressed them into a pile of crushed pistachios and dill. Baked at 425 for 10 minutes. Nailed it. The red puff is a sprinkle of Hungarian paprika. I realized almost too late that this dish, although its flavor could speak for itself, was not perfect in color contrast.

Dessert was a treat I had always wanted to try. It's easy, SO easy, and really quite refreshingly bright and good. Raw Brownies. I'm serious. It was walnuts, cashews, organic Medjool dates, and cocoa powder. Pulverized. Pressed into a pan and refrigerated until we cut them, brought to room temperature, and devoured! A friend sent me to this recipe on a blog called My New Roots - see for yourself. (We didn't add in chopped nuts at the end, because nuts in brownies do not belong, unless of course, they are pulverized.)

sweet ending

Mark definitely pretended like he was not interested in these raw brownies. It only took 1 bite to convince him. I think this dessert may be our new thing!

The star of this menu was really that first course. Here's the how-to:

To make vegetable stacks...

• Drizzle whole portobello caps, sliced eggplant, and red pepper halves with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, top with sea salt and pepper.
• Roast at 375 for 20 minutes. Flip. Roast another 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool slightly to handle. Remove skin from red pepper.
• Layer as follows:
• Portobello cap (bottom)
• White Bean Spread
• Roasted red pepper
• Arugula Cashew Pesto
• Eggplant

Garlic and White Bean Spread
Blend:
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt, pepper to taste
That was easy!

Arugula and Cashew Pesto
Recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times

• 3 cups tightly packed chopped arugula
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced basil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp tamari (or reduced-sodium soy sauce)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Puree dry ingredients in food processor before adding lemon and tamari. Drizzle in olive oil with blade running until thoroughly combined.

YUM and YUM!

We have 6 months to dream up our next milestone menu (THE First Anniversary!)... what will it be?!