what a summer!

Several of you have asked, "what on earth I've been up to", since-- clearly-- I haven't been blogging.  Here's the answer, in pictures.

First, the kiddos went to sleep away camp. To say they had a ball would be an understatement.

And, while they were off at camp, my husband and I tackled a few Northeastern peaks, in anticipation of a family hiking trip in the Swiss Alps, that we'd excitedly planned all year.

Slight change in plans when our little one broke his leg on a backpacking trip at camp… but we still went on a family adventure, taking trains all over Italy and Switzerland. Different trip than we'd planned, but totally amazing, nonetheless. A trip so special, none of us will soon forget it.  

Then, since a summer isn't complete without a few weeks spent out West, in the mountains, we flew straight on through from Zurich, Switzerland to Sun Valley, Idaho, where we've been enjoying the company of Meme and Papa, my parents, who get to live out here.

All of this free time and travel means that I can count what I've cooked this summer on two-- no, maybe one-- hand. We ate out a lot, and when home, I fell into a delicious rhythm of just a few go-to meals: 

Several iterations of Bouillabaise...

fish tacos...

big batches of Green Gazpacho...

and a summer salad of heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, grilled chicken (tofu for my vegetarian son), chunks of avocado, roasted garlic cloves and topped with mango salsa that everyone loves and I keep making again and again.

We've also enjoyed our fare share of s'mores

and fruit crisps.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know my mantra is "cook once, eat at least twice". So, I've gotten in the habit of making big batches of the fruit crisp topping and storing it in the fridge for the next time I've got ripe fruit. Handy. Since one should always have a fruit crisp at the ready.

Before leaving on these travels, I did restock our freezer with a few Greens and Cheese Pies, because I wanted to be assured that when we do (eventually) roll home, a nourishing, delicious meal will be waiting for us. And that's just the start of my plan to enter this school year with a stash of meals in the freezer, and the "bonus hours" that result from cooking ahead. So, stick around the blog if you're like me and want the focus this Fall to be on stocking our freezers with goodness, and taking great care of ourselves.

crunchy lentil and sweet potato salad with lemon-tahini dressing

We've just passed the half-way mark of the friendly weight-loss competition I have going with ten friends. And {drum roll} I continue to lose weight, and am feeling more and more fabulous-- and energetic-- every day. My strategy for the second half? Keep on doing what I'm doing….

Today, after hoofing it around town with a friend, she mentioned she was going to go home and enjoy leftovers from a dinner party she'd hosted. With no lunch plans of my own, I decided to forage in my own fridge and see if I could come up with an equally delicious and healthy lunch.

Saturday, I'd made a veggie frittata with Trader Joe's Cruciferous Salad {kale, broccoli and cabbage blend} + peppers + onions. But I'd eaten the last wedge of it for breakfast this morning. Bummer.

But I did find:

• the rest of the bag of Trader Joe's "Cruciferous Salad"
• some roasted sweet potatoes from last night's dinner 
• a package of Trader Joe's already cooked lentils
• a tub of Trader Joe's Tahini Sauce
• a bunch of lemons from the hot lemon water I have first thing each morning
• some garlic

Perfect.

Crunchy Lentil-Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini Dressing

Lemon-Tahini Dressing {makes about 1 cup}:

• 8 oz container tahini (sesame paste)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• water
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a blender, combine all ingredients, starting with 1/4 cup of water and adding water bit by bit until you get to desired consistency. 

Salad:

• Trader Joe's Cruciferous Salad
• Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes, rough chopped

Drizzle desired amount of Lemon-Tahini Dressing over Trader Joe's Cruciferous Salad mix. Toss to coat. Top with lentils and rough chopped sweet potato. 

Yum.

Now I just have to come up with a way to incorporate the Lemon-Tahini Dressing and these leftover lentils into dinner… so the happy cycle of simple, healthy meals continues around here.

perfect New Year's Eve

Cheers and Happy New Year to all! I hope that you had a fabulous end to 2013. After an apres ski beer  out with friends, we enjoyed a cozy dinner in last night. I made everything ahead of time, which allowed me to

ski all day

warm up

and play a ferocious three generation game of Mexican Train before we sat down to eat together.

I'd made and/or prepped everything ahead of time, so all I had to do was toss the salad {one of my favs, particularly on a chilly winter day: jicama, mango with a lime vinaigrette}.

Then I put a bunch of toppings out,

and we all enjoyed a test-run on my Winter White Chili. It was so, so good. A total keeper, which is great because I'm trying to come up with more top-notch, freezer-friendly meals to add to the current "Stock Your Freezer in a Snap" batch of crowd-pleasers.

It was a perfect, casual New Year's Eve meal-- great for any time you want to feed a crowd, big or small, and get the cooking done ahead of time. Here's a link to other freezer-friendly meals and resources I've jotted down here on the blog, in case you're looking for some make-ahead meal inspiration as we head into 2014. Cheers!       - Eila

shaved Brussels sprout salad + lemony Brussels sprout-spinach saute

I have such a crush on this salad. First inhaled enjoyed while sitting in the company of a couple girlfriends outside at Cava, it was the one dish I craved over and over this past summer. I never had to think before I ordered: first their fresh Brussels sprouts with a small crispy risotto cake followed by a second appetizer of artichokes + ricotta salata + shaved onion+ jalapeños + some decadent aioli. And a glass {or two or three} of Gavi di Gavi. As Fall moves in, I miss those carefree al fresco dinners with dear friends, laughing on Cava's front patio, well into the evening...

And so, of course I wanted to recreate this deliciousness at home.

My local market, Walter Stewart's, is now carrying shaved Brussels sprouts, making this salad easier to make than you can imagine. Like, as in a two minute salad. I've also spotted bags of shaved Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe's. It is ridiculously simple to make, but the earthiness of the truffle oil gives it a sophisticated, rich taste. 

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

(makes 6-8 servings)

4 cups (or 12 oz.) shaved Brussels sprouts

1 or 2 lemons, zested and juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon black truffle-infused olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Toss everything in a bowl. The heartiness of the Brussels sprouts make this a perfect make-ahead salad. It may be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. In fact, I think it's even better day two. 

So, then, let's say you make this salad on a Thursday, and come back from a whirlwind weekend on a Sunday. Not that excited to launch back into reality and go to the market, you open the fridge and find a small amount of this salad + a bag of organic baby spinach. This, my friends, is the beauty of this salad. While it's amazing cold... it might even be better warm!!

Lemony Brussels Sprout-Spinach Saute
(makes 4 servings)

about 1/2-3/4 cup Brussels sprout salad
about 2 cups fresh organic baby spinach, chiffonade (thinly sliced into strips)
optional: extra olive oil or lemon juice

Heat a fry pan to medium-high. Saute Brussels sprout salad and spinach for a few minutes until spinach wilts. Serve warm.