Roasted Beets with Pistachio Vinaigrette

I never really cared for beets until I stumbled upon a lasagna recipe with roasted beets and an herbed béchamel sauce a few years back. I absolutely had to make it as my curiosity overwhelmed my otherwise lukewarm feelings about these vibrantly colored roots. It turned out to be (at the time) the best vegetarian lasagna I had ever eaten. Thus my beet craze began. I'm pretty sure I made that lasagna twice more in the month or two that followed, and I also started ordering beets at any restaurant that offered them on the menu.

There is this pub in Chicago that serves really good British food. You know, the stereotypical stuff: fish and chips, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, bubble and squeak. But though they have their staples, the rest of their menu is ever changing with the seasons. On one serendipitous occasion, I happened to order their roasted beets. It was tossed in an amazing pistachio vinaigrette and topped with a dollop of ricotta. I was through the moon, it was so good.

Mozzarella & Pluot Salad

Guys, I think I have found it. The salad. The salad above all other salads, if you could even call it such. It doesn't contain any lettuce, spinach, or other leafy greens, but it is perfect. Gasp! Did I just say perfect? I mean, nothing in this world is really ever 100% perfect, but this salad is as close to perfection as you can get.

Unfortunately it's something you can only make in the few short months that is the stone fruit season (unless you somehow find pluots in February, but who knows where they came from and how long they traveled to get to you). Since we only have a few weeks left at best, I think I shall be making this darling salad every week until it's over.

Pea & Leek Soup with Sourdough Croutons

There's something so amazing about the simplicity of peas. I could eat them everyday with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. I've always thought the television stereotype of children pushing peas around on their plate, refusing to eat them, feeding them to their dogs, and other such antics, was absurd. Who doesn't like peas?

Sourdough bread on the other hand...not a big fan unless it comes in the form of a patty melt. But in this instance, there is no better bread than sourdough to pair with pea soup. The slight sourness creates a great contrast to the sweetness of the peas, in addition to adding a nice crunch to a soup that would otherwise have the consistency of baby food (I'm doing a great job of selling this recipe to you aren't I?!?).

But no, really, it's amazing. Healthy, delicious, colorful, amazing. Makes for an elegant weeknight meal if you're strapped for time.

Tofu Bánh Mì

I don't claim to even remotely know what an authentic bánh mì tastes like. But I thoroughly enjoy getting them at my nearest Vietnamese bakery/cafe/pho joint wherever I'm living at the moment, so here is my attempt to make them at home, based on bánh mìs I have eaten in Austin, Chicago, and Manhattan.

Now I usually wouldn't even attempt to re-create a sandwich that is so delicious and cheap already, and I absolutely love a classic bánh mì with ham, pork roll, pate, head cheese, and the like. But every once in a while I don't want to eat pork (pigs are so smart and cute!) and I find that the vegetarian options available are pretty sad.