Herbal Rice Noodle Salad With Broccoli Rabe

It's finally spring! With the snowstorm that came through last week, it doesn't quite feel like it yet but I'm hoping today's recipe will help usher us into the season of renewal. This rice noodle salad is all about bright, fresh flavors that will make you feel energized and ready to come out of winter hibernation and into the sun again.

We start off with a base of cool rice noodles, then add broccoli rabe that has been quickly blanched to mellow the spiciness but keep a slight crunch. Mix that with some garlic and dried shrimp which has been pan fried in oil, a few other veggies, and a medley of fresh herbs. And finally top it off with a salty, slightly sweet, brightly acidic dressing made from coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, and lemongrass. You can serve it as a side or add your favorite protein and make it a main meal, it's no less delicious either way.

Hope you guys enjoy this refreshing recipe. Do you have any fun spring plans? Phillip and I are jetting off to Tokyo for a week and a half at the end of march, so if y'all have any good recommendations please send them along. Our main goal is to eat as much as possible so I'm hoping to come back with a lot of food inspiration and new recipe ideas to share here. See you when I get back!

Vegetarian Loaded Nachos

One of the most common questions people ask about this blog is how I decide what to make. The answer is as simple as "whatever I feel like eating at the moment (and is within my capabilities to cook)". The execution of those whimsies is another story. A lot of posts sit perpetually unpublished because I'm unhappy with one thing or another, sometimes I try to make a more creative variation on a classic dish and by the time the recipe is perfected, I don't want to eat it anymore. But there's always some success among the many attempts and this post is a great example of when the process works!

I've been having some really strange food obsessions lately, with special emphasis on nachos, banana shakes, and red meat, none of which are foods that I have ever in my life craved or sought out with such fervor until the last few weeks, separately of course (although...steak nachos with a side of banana shake? Sign me up). Today's recipe is a manifestation of the nacho obsession, which started on super bowl sunday and has yet to show signs of diminishing. They're loaded with cheese and all the best veggie toppings for a fun snack or meal. I decided to go sans meat to give them a fresher, lighter vibe, but you can alter them to your heart's content since nachos don't really need a recipe. They're just so goshdang colorful and delicious that I had to share. Hope you guys enjoy.

Fresh Beet Pasta + Beet Pesto

Well, 2017 is shaping up to be quite a year so far. I had originally intended for this post to be in support of Planned Parenthood because the color of this pasta screams girl power! But in light of the events of this past weekend, I'm going to cast a wider net. To be frank, the efforts our new president and congress have been making to defund Planned Parenthood, to repeal the Affordable Care Act, to ban people from entering this country based on national origin regardless of immigration status—those efforts cut my heart to the core.

As a woman who believes in her own bodily autonomy, who believes that affordable healthcare is a right and not a privilege, it baffles me that these people who think abortion is a horrible sin are the same ones who want to take away our access to affordable birth control. As an immigrant and former green card holder who only recently (a short 9 months ago) finally gained citizenship after 23 years of living in this country, I cannot fundamentally believe that barring permanent residents who were on vacation from returning home or turning away refugees who are the very victims of terrorism and war is supposed to be good for our "national security".

We cannot sit idly by while they strip away our rights one by one, so if these are issues close to your heart, please join me in donating to Planned Parenthood or the ACLU today. To offer you a little more incentive (in case you can't donate as much as you would like or you just need a little nudge) if you send me a receipt of your donation to summer(at)oandoeats.com I will match your donations dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $500 per organization. Now is the time to fight for what we believe in, so whether you donate, protest, or call your representatives, just know that I'm with you. We are in this together.

I realize that posting a recipe seems kind of hollow at a time like this, but our bodies still need nourishment to fight, and alas this is a food blog first and foremost. I hope you enjoy this bold pink, girl power, immigrant power pasta.

Broccoli Rabe and Crunchy Cauliflower with a Lemon Tahini Dressing

Hi friends, it's been a while. The last couple of months have been super busy and passed by in such a haze. Consequently, I've been taking lots of "me" time during the hours outside of my day job. Things like dinner parties, lots of movies (omg The Handmaiden!), and lots of books (currently The Wind Up Bird Chronicle). Today I'm back with a recipe, so hi, hello, how have you been doing?

It's the holiday season, which means lots of feasting, drinking, and good times with family and friends. Last month we hosted a big Friendsgiving, it was delicious and everything we had hoped for. To our surprise, the most popular dish of the night was a leafy green salad with an almond dressing. It was mostly there as a show of good faith to the divine entity who presides over my dress size, so I was floored at how quickly it went. What a topsy-turvy kind of world we're living in these days, but if veggies are what people want, I am more than happy to serve. In keeping with the theme of eating healthy during the most decadent of seasons, today's recipe is a vegetarian side dish made with roasted broccoli rabe, raw cauliflower, pine nuts, and a creamy lemon tahini dressing.

The broccoli rabe is roasted to get two distinct textures from it: the tender stems + florets, and the crispy leaves. Then the cauliflower is thinly sliced and served uncooked for a subtle sweetness and refreshing crunch that contrasts the spiciness of the broccoli rabe. The zesty tahini dressing brings it all together, and the pine nuts add a final note of richness to the dish. Per Phillip's request, I'm making a New Years Lasagna for our first dinner of 2017, and I have a good feeling we'll be balancing the hearty lasagna with a refreshing side such as this. However y'all are celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful holiday.