Yet another simple summer recipe – only a few ingredients, but it still feels exciting. This was my first time eating raw squash, and I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, crisp and nutty. Combined with a tart lemon dressing, salty cheese, and the crunch of pistachios, the resulting salad is amazingly flavorful. But it’s still light enough to leave you feeling good afterwards. Great for a quick lunch or to bring along on a picnic.
I often find myself needing a quick yet filling breakfast to get me going in the morning, and I’ve posted a few of my usual breakfast recipes before. Well, here’s another recipe that fills the role quite nicely. A riff on the classic combination of banana and peanut butter, rolled in a mixture of oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, and cinnamon for a great source of protein and fiber to start your day. It accomplishes the trifecta I often strive for: simple, healthy, and delicious. This recipe can easily be customized based on what you have around – coconut flakes or finely chopped nuts would be a great addition, for example, or you could even use granola to roll in for an especially simple version.
Fesenjan is a simple and intensely flavored Persian chicken stew, thick with tart-sweet pomegranate molasses and rich toasted walnuts. Pomegranate molasses is a pantry staple of mine, and this recipe relies heavily on the syrup for it’s fruity tartness which permeates the chicken as it cooks. The use of walnuts meanwhile reminds me of the cashews in my vegetable korma except the walnuts here are only ground to fine bits instead of a paste. Actually, I think I’ll try grinding the walnuts to a paste with water as in the korma recipe next time; I imagine that would work well for anyone who doesn’t want actual crunchy bits of walnuts in the finished stew (although, personally, I like the variety of textures). The spicing is very simple with a few whole cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick thrown in – many recipes actually don’t even call for these (and you’ll be okay leaving them out), but I’ve found they add a little extra depth.