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?!

With love- Lentils. xoxo.

It's snowing today!

What a perfect opportunity to share an inspiration for a yummy lentil soup. Lentils are a scrumptious, high-protein, easy, and versatile legume that you simply must try. I was so in love with this concoction, I even ate it for breakfast the next morning before work at the high school cafeteria. At 5:30 am. And you know what, it kept me full much longer than a bowl of cereal does!

I used brown lentils, which tend to hold their shape more than red or orange lentils. First, I sauteed diced onion, celery, and carrot (if you want to be snooty, you can call that 'mirepoix,' pronounced "meer-pwah") along with garlic on medium heat for a few minutes. I added in about a cup or more of chopped mushrooms. Next, one of the crucial ingredients... 1/4 cup red wine. Let that simmer uncovered for 3-5 minutes... you will be glad you did! Then, I added in my next crucial ingredient... 1 tablespoon maple syrup! That bit of New Hampshire's maple goodness brought through just a teeny bit of sweetness that changed the flavor composition of the whole pot. I added about 3 cups of vegetable stock, and about 1 cup of lentils (rinse those first). Simmer and simmer for about 1 hour. The good thing about brown lentils is they cook in basically 20 minutes, so you don't have to let the soup simmer for an hour if you don't have the time. Before you dig in... stir in handfuls of torn fresh spinach leaves. (Or cooked collard greens, if so inspired!) Oooo my is this one tasty and amazingly healthy soup!

So steamy!

Last week was a special week, 1) because I made this soup and ate it for breakfast; and 2) it was my friend and fellow intern Fionna's birthday; and 3) it was Pumpkin Fest here in Keene! Any special week (and any week at all, really) calls for one of my all-time favorite snacky snacks, Sugared Walnuts. I got this recipe from my mom, but she makes it with pecans. (Pecans are not my favorite nut. And I also don't like that they can be pronounced 2 very different ways. But feel free to use them if you so desire!) Some of the interns had a birthday party for Fionna and pumpkin carving party last week, so I made a batch. They vanished. Here's the recipe:

Sugared Walnuts
Beat 2 egg whites until frothy. Add 1 tablespoon water, beat in. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt. Toss 1 lb walnuts in the egg white mixture and toss to coat. Then, toss egg-y walnuts in the sugar mixture, stir to coat. Spread nuts on a greased baking pan, and bake at 275 degrees F for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM

I hope you enjoy these tasty fall treats. Both have helped feed my body and brain through the first 9 weeks of my internship! Tomorrow is my last day of my food service rotation. This week I have been waking up at 4:00 am to get to work at a preschool nutrition site in Manchester! (Note- human beings were NOT meant to wake up at 4 am for anything, especially work, which is perhaps why I accidentally missed my alarm by 2.5 hrs and was significantly late today. Oops.)


Next week, I move into many months of my community rotation, until I start clinical in April. More adventures to come! Now go cook something delicious!