Category: Olive Oil

No. 509Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Farmers Market Sunny Salad

Farmers Market Sunny Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

A trip to the Farmers Market today brought a sunny smile to my face and this salad to my table. Farmers Market Sunny Salad is an easy ray of sunshine, another Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

FARMERS MARKET

It’s been way more than an minute since the local Farmers Market has been up and running at full speed. Most of the vendors are back. Splendid butter lettuce, radishes, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and my favorite edible flowers, along with the elusive mulberries.

Farmers Market Sunny Salad |Bijouxs Little Jewels

EDIBLE FLOWERS

What a quick way to add a smile to any dish by adding edible flowers. They are in season at the Farmers Market and I wanted a fresh, cheerful salad to serve. Although you usually see edible flowers in restaurants, they are becoming more available to home cooks. I added them to my plates when I worked as a private/personal chef years ago. I am happy to see them back in the market today.

PROBIOTIC COCONUT WATER

I have been making some healthy changes to my routines after reading the book Fatal Conveniences, yikes, we are exposed to sooo many toxins. Time to begin some simple changes. As a chef, the freshest organic produce is always my choice. I found Inner-Eco Probiotic Coconut Water. (No, this is not sponsored, just me here) I used it in this light dressing for the salad, Balsamic vinaigrette which includes the probiotic. An easy add-on to a health routine.

FARMERS MARKET SUNNY SALAD

This is a light, bright salad that includes butter leaf lettuce, radishes, heirloom cherry tomatoes tossed with Balsamic vinaigrette and of course edible flowers. I love the pansies smiling faces. Treat yourself as if you were someone you really loved. This is a nice way to look at self-love and eating healthy food is a part of that equation. Sending bright and sunny Spring wishes to all from the Bijouxs Kitchen. Thank you for your support.

 

No. 498Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup & Parmesan Toast

ROASTED HEIRLOOM TOMATO SOUP & PARMESAN TOAST | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The gray days of late winter are all about California’s fickle weather. Today it’s rainy and cold, even snow on our local mountains. Staying present my senses are telling me soup. Classic tomato soup takes on a Italian profile–Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup with Parmesan Toast is a comforting little jewel. Continue reading Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup & Parmesan Toast

No. 487Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp

Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp | Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen

Matcha noodles plus double the curry, doubles the flavor, another Little Jewel from the Bijouxs Kitchen–Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp.

CURRY LOVE

Noodles = comfort. Spicing them up with classic Japanese curry mix and Thai red curry paste is a little flavor jewel. As all of you in the Bijouxs tribe recongize, I adore curry. I have Far Out Temple Curry a healthy update, my sister’s Curry Nut Mix, Curry Bone Broth with Mushroom & Greens, Pan Seared Scallops with Coconut Curry plus more just search ‘curry’ to see them all. Today I am adding a new recipe that is a simple joy, Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp

MATCHA NOODLE CURRY WITH SHRIMP

Delicate Japanese soba noodles infused with green matcha create the base of this recipe. Don’t worry if you can’t find matcha soba noodles, plain noodles will work well. The simple curry sauce is the combination of using classic Japanese Curry spice block, (you may have seen in the supers) along with a fragrant Red Thai Curry paste which adds depth to the sauce. This is an almost ready-made curry, the sauce goes together simply, using water and a bit of broth, that’s it.

Onions and carrots, along with fresh shrimp are sautéed and from there the curry sauce takes shape. Once the sauce comes together the cooked noodles are gently tossed in. Serving the noodles in bowls makes slurping them up much easier. Toppings of green onions and cilantro leaves, along with the crunch of mung bean sprouts add freshness to the noodles.

Of course please substitute chicken or tofu as you wish in place of the shrimp. Enjoy a bowl of Matcha Noodle Curry w/ Shrimp.

 

No. 484Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fennel Fronds Pesto

Fennel Fronds Pesto | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Fresh Fennel is a little jewel to include in your garden. The fragrant green fronds create a rich green pesto, another little jewel from the Bijouxs kitchen.

FENNEL IN THE GARDEN

I have always included fennel in my gardens, even now in my tiny garden at my bungalow up the Central Coast. I was gifted a large fennel plant from a neighbor’s garden. Fennel bulbs multiple, so my neighbors dug up a large clump of bulbs to share. Turns out fennel is fussy about a transplant, there is a long tap root and you really have to keep if watered during its adjustment time. I cut back the fronds and planted in rich planting mix, after a few months my fennel is thriving.

Fennel Fronds Pesto | Bijouxs Little Jewels

FENNEL IN THE KITCHEN

I have used the bulbs in a variety of recipes, cooked and raw in salads. Fennel has a mild anise/licorice taste. You will see many times fennel a part of Italian cuisine. The bulbs can be braised, with cream and cheese, also roasted and put into salads and pasta. One of my favorites is this Blood Orange, Fennel & Radicchio Salad. Thinly sliced fennel adds the crisp crunch to the beautiful salad made colorful with rich hues from Blood Oranges.

Fennel Fronds Pesto | Bijouxs Little Jewels

FENNEL PESTO

So, what to do with all the luxuriant fronds that accompany the fennel plant? What came to mind was a pesto, which I have made with greens other than basil. After a checking the internet I discovered that you can basically just substitute fennel fronds in place of the basil-so simple. Many times, if I do not have pine nuts, I swap out walnuts in my pesto, as I did in this recipe. I used the basic ratios of my original basil pesto recipe.

There are of course many ways to use the pesto, just as you would use basil pesto. I liked this pesto as a dip for a steamed artichoke or spread on a sandwich or tossed with pasta. Fennel a little garden jewel.

 

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