Sunday Cooking: Salad Days

It's been dang hot lately, so slaving over a hot stove hasn't been at the top of my "to do" list in recent weeks. That said, it doesn't mean that I haven't been eating quite well.

Last night I whipped up this simple and delicious beet greens, beet and goat cheese salad. Most people waste those veiny, dense leafs on the stems of the beets, which are actually pretty tasty. I'd say the flavor falls somewhere between arugula and spinach; a little peppery, with that hearty spinach texture.

I simply roasted the beets in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes (drizzle with olive oil and sea salt before baking). Then I ripped up the greens and added a splash of lemon juice, salt, pepper and good olive oil and tossed. Crumble up some goat cheese and toss in the cooled beets and you've got yourself a hearty and tasty salad.

Inspiration at the Farmer's Market

Gigantic sugar snap peas

After a debaucherous week of eating in San Francisco, I needed to get back to fit and fiber. So last Sunday, I went to the Alhambra Farmer's Market in search for some cooking inspiration. What I found was an enormous variety of produce, and a renewed excitement for the simple goodness of vegetables.

Roasting beets with sea salt

Beets, jalapenos, cilantro, lemons, artichokes, sugar snap peas, green beans, sweet corn, red bell peppers and spring mix all went straight to my head - so many ideas! I just had to get home fast else risk forgetting all the wonderful combinations and recipes that were flooding my brain.

With the jalapeno and cilantro, I made a paste to rub on some red snapper I had purchased the day before. I let it marinate for a few hours then popped it in the oven. The beets went straight onto a roasting pan and got a good dash of sea salt; they went perfectly with the spring mix I bought and the goat cheese I already had in the fridge.

Quinoa, corn and pepper stuffed hearts

The artichokes, red pepper, onions and sweet corn became a stuffed artichoke heart dish. I mixed the vegetables with some spicy quinoa I had made and added a bit of lemon zest for balance and flavor. The lemon also came in handy for the hearts; add them to the boiling water to avoid discoloration of the tender artichoke hearts.

Beet and goat cheese salad

The snap peas and green beans? They served as the perfect side dish to my snapper and artichoke heart dinner. After a week of eating like this, I felt back to my normal self.

Snap peas, spicy snapper and stuffed hearts

Tomorrow I will go again for more fresh inspiration. Let's see what next week brings...